On H List of Movie Reviews

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Hustle (1975)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 5/26

5/26: Hustle is a tale of two halves.

The first is slow and mostly without substance. I had to pause at that point to take a mental break. After returning to the show, the second half is improved by getting on with the mystery which is a cross between Hardcore and 8MM.

What a cast: Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan, Eddie Albert, and Ernest Borgnine. That's two Oscar wins among eight nominations. For the most part, Robert Aldrich is heavily focused on developing rich characters. I'm fine with it, but the running time needs to be at least thirty minutes shorter.

If there's a surprise, it's Freddy Krueger setting up a situation that gets Burt Reynolds' character killed at the end. Of course, Robert Englund wouldn't be known until nine years later. I have to say Catherine Deneuve, who makes a rare appearance in a Hollywood film, looks great and is more of a plus to enliven things.

All in all, Hustle is a near-miss neo-noir.

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