50 Best Sports Movies Ever

23. The Hustler

Year: 1961
Sport: Pool
Starring: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Myron McCormick
Director: Robert Rossen

If only one word can be used to describe Paul Newman, it’d likely be, “Smooth.” He was the man’s man of his era, stealing the show in films with his looks and, for the lack of a better term, swagger as the incomparably cool actor who conquered all of his roles.

Newman’s work in 1961’s The Hustler is one of the man reasons this Robert Rossen classic has cracked the Top 25.

Newman’s Eddie Felson is an up-and-coming player looking to make his name against Jackie Gleason’s Minnesota Fats. Those two actors alone should intrigue you, but it’s the performances they give that makes The Hustler one of the Top 25 sports movies of all-time.

Pool doesn’t sound like the most compelling sport one could play, but this film does it all the justice that it possibly could.

Every shot was intense, every scene was edited beautifully, and every line in this film had a poignant edge to it.

Newman’s prime-year presence is enough to warrant consideration for any film, but this goes beyond the names and the actors. Rossen directs a wonderful film that affirms how competitive pool can be, and just how much is at stake when the games are played.

With the likes of Piper Laurie and George C. Scott in supporting roles, the quality of the acting certainly doesn’t hurt its place on this list.

Next: 22. Breaking Away