Main Cast: Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan
Release Year: 1975
Country: US
Run Time: 120 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Director Robert Aldrich (The Longest Yard) re-unites with Burt Reynolds for this hard-edged neo-noir. Lieutenant Phil Gaines (Reynolds) is a cynical Los Angeles police detective amorously involved with an icewater-veined Parisian call girl, Nicole Britton (Catherine Deneuve). On the job, he begins to investigate the shady death of a teenage girl that appears to lead straight to Leo Sellers (Eddie Albert), an attorney with a frightening number of connections. The problem is, Nicole herself has a direct connection to the case - Leo is one of her clients. Meanwhile, Marty Hollinger (Ben Johnson), the victim's father, decides to undertake a grassroots investigation of his own - little realizing that his seemingly murdered daughter was in up to her neck with prostitution, porno movie acting, and dancing as a stripper, facts which suggest that she may have offed herself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Never one to practice restraint, director Robert Aldrich paints a sometimes overwhelmingly disturbing portrait of America in Hustle. Aldrich's work is undeniably powerful and his ability to vividly paint a world of unstoppable moral corrosion is impossible to dismiss. At the same time, the director's obsessiveness is uncomfortable and, at times, he simply tries too hard. There's not enough substance in the basically noir-ish screenplay to handle all that Aldrich imposes upon it. As a result, some viewers may find themselves saying "enough" before the film reaches its end, but there are also many who will find the director's "total immersion" approach richly rewarding. Burt Reynolds turns in a surprisingly interesting performance, adopting a world-weary approach that still maintains its vitality. He is, unfortunately, not well matched by Catherine Deneuve, who is stunning to look at but rather too mechanical. There's fine support, however, from Eileen Brennan, Eddie Albert, and especially Ben Johnson, whose compelling performance is, by itself, reason enough to watch. Not for everyone's taste, Hustle is nevertheless a fascinating variation on the cop thriller. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Eddie Albert - Leo Sellers; Ernest Borgnine - Santoro; Catherine Bach - Peggy Summers; Jack Carter - Herbie Dalitz; Sharon Kelly - Gloria Hollinger; James Hampton - Bus Driver; David Spielberg - Bellamy; Don "Red" Barry - Airport Bartender; Hal Baylor - Police Captain; Don Billett - Cop in T-Shirt; Peter Brandon - Minister; Victoria Carroll - Guest; David Estridge - Albino; Med Flory - Cop beating Albino; John Furlong - Waiter; Alvin Hammer - Liquor Store clerk; Chuck Hayward - Morgue Attendant; Karl Lukas - Charley; George Memmoli - Foot Fetish Man; Dick Miller; Patrice Rohmer - Linda, a Dancer; John Duke Russo - Man in Phone Booth; Queenie Smith - Customer; Naomi Stevens - Woman Hostage; Dino Washington - Cop in Elevator; Fred Willard - Interrogator; Dave Willock - Liquor Store Clerk; Jason Wingreen - Jim Lang; Robert Englund - Holdup Man; Steve Shaw - Cop in Elevator; Ben Young - First Detective; Thad Geer - 2nd Holdup Man; Marilyn Moe - Customer; Ron Nyman - Pan Am Clerk
Credit
Raphael Bretton - Art Director, Hilyard M. Brown - Art Director, William Aldrich - Associate Producer, Alex Romero - Choreography, Betsy Cox - Costume Designer, Oscar Rodriguez - Costume Designer, Malcolm Harding - First Assistant Director, Robert Aldrich - Director, Michael Luciano - Editor, Frank De Vol - Composer (Music Score), Charles Aznavour - Songwriter, Herbert Kretzmer - Songwriter, Francis Lai - Songwriter, Jerry Herst - Songwriter, Jack Sharpe - Songwriter, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, Robert Aldrich - Producer, Raphael Bretton - Set Designer, Henry Millar - Special Effects, Jack Solomon - Sound/Sound Designer, John K. Wilkinson - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve Shagan - Screenwriter, Cole Porter - Featured Music
Hustle (TV series), a drama series launched in 2004, shown on BBC One in the UK and AMC in the US
The Hustler, a 1961 film adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel, directed by Robert Rossen, and starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie and George C. Scott
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