Don't let the pool put you off!

I'd always known this was supposed to be a classic, but never got around to seeing it until now. Well, who want's to watch a film all about pool? Don't be decieved, the pool is secondary. This is a character study and love story, as Fast Eddie (Newman) goes from being emotionally empty, his brashness and arrogance hiding his insecurities, to an emotional awakening and maturity.

The actors take centre stage, each perfect for their roles, each fleshing out their character in mastery of their craft. Long, slow takes let the charaters fill the screen, every line, every look, every gesture telling of their inner motivations, their outer stories. Scott is brilliant, Newman burns the screen with an understated intensity, whilst Gleason performance is an essay in why, in big screen acting, less is really more - not a wasted movement, not a wasted gesture.

Shot in bleak black and white, and with a sparse downbeat soundtrack, the film perfectly presents the barren landscape of pool dives, bars and cheap lodgings, that is Eddie's life.

Forget if being a 'sports picture'. Although pool scenes are indeed crucial to the film, you don't need to know anything about the game to appretiate their staging and their dramatic power and tension.

This is simply one of the all time great movies.