This classic drama may seem atypical by the standards of today's fast-moving sports movies: the mock-poetic, soul-searching dialogue and the alcoholic heroine are firmly rooted in 1950s social realism. It does for pool players what dozens of other downbeat films did for boxers: it psychoanalyses them, determined to make them into complex dramatic characters. However, as a showcase for one of Paul Newman's best screen performances, it's still a masterpiece, with Newman, Jackie Gleason (as Minnesota Fats) and George C Scott striking sparks in the perfectly captured seedy pool-hall atmosphere. The picture is streets ahead of Martin Scorsese's flashy sequel, The Color of Money, for which Newman finally won his deserved Oscar.

Fast Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary Minnesota Fats to a high-stakes match.