Nine ball — one of the numerous variations of pool, the cue sport. The striking game (widely known for its hustling and gambling culture) started in the United States of America sometime in the 1920s and has been going strong ever since. Like any other competitive game, Hollywood has managed to grab hold and transform it into a storytelling vehicle for some big-screen productions.

This is no criticism, though, as there are some sorely underrated movies revolving around cue sports in general, such as 1980’s The Baltimore Bullet (featuring the legendary James Coburn), 2002’s Poolhall Junkies (starring Chazz Palminteri), and The Rack Pack (a 2016 British TV film about snooker). Standing above all — in what seems to be a largely untapped subgenre — is a 1986 movie that not only subtly analyzes the sport from all sides but also takes the time to fit in an excellently crafted coming-of-age story. The best part? None other than Tom Cruise and Paul Newman star in it.

While these names might be enough to grab your attention, the most surprising piece of trivia to come out of Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money might just shock you. Tom Cruise’s portrayal of naive Vincent Lauria was highly admirable and infectious, but surprisingly, he never captured any awards like many others had for the film. Paul Newman won two Best Actor Awards (one of them being an Academy Award) for reprising his role as Eddie “Fast Eddie” Felson (the first time being in 1961’s The Hustler). Actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who played Carmen, Vincent’s girlfriend, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress (from three different award organizations).

From Best Screenplay to Best Art Direction to Best Film, The Color of Money ended up as a nominee in many different categories. The use of Eric Clapton’s It’s in the Way That You Use It in the film was even hailed by the MTV Video Music Awards! But nothing for Cruise in what could be his best character work? That’s just bizarre.

‘The Color of Money’ Is a Sports Movie About Growing Up

Yes, the argument being made here is solely targeted at Cruise’s performance, but the commitment that Newman and Mastrantonio bring to The Color of Money cannot be denied. At this point, the man who played Fast Eddie already had a distinguished film and television career for over 30 years and the woman who starred as Carmen had already easily perfected the big screen three years earlier as Gina Montana in Scarface.

Being the youngest featured star, this was Cruise’s sink-or-swim moment. While the “sport” part of the story was handled exquisitely by Newman’s aging Eddie Felson, Vincent Lauria’s arc had equal importance. He was a naive nine-ball player who showed off his skill for the game a bit too much, which attracted the veteran player to step in and vigorously teach him how to play with the art and finesse of a hustler and how to mature.

Even though Cruise taught himself most of the shots needed for the movie by buying a pool table for his apartment at the time and constantly training, his acting prowess is the greatest asset here. When Eddie gets a bit too playful with his girlfriend while acting during a hustle or when Eddie manipulates him into thinking Carmen is thinking about leaving, we see a more emotionally-bound Vincent.

Since the iconic actor already had a hand in character acting (due to his previous coming-of-age movies like The Outsiders and Risky Business), Cruise’s outbursts and/or tension were meticulously crafted, all at a moment’s notice. These little trials set forth by his sudden mentor not only provided Cruise with moments to rope the audience but also gave his character ample reason to mature and grow in unexpected ways. The climax of the film is a turning point. Being away from Eddie for a couple of weeks, Vincent calmly hands him a cut of the winnings and admits he intentionally lost their tournament match.

Tom Cruise Should Have Been Honored

This suave demeanor is striking for both Eddie and the audience. As Cruise easily and smoothly traverses the unexpected ending of his coming-of-age story, viewers wait with bated breath to see how Newman will react. The ups and downs of the training, learning how to become a more hidden type of man, and being patient until the big pot comes are all memorable moments in The Color of Money, and that’s due to Cruise’s play towards the camera.

Just as he becomes concerned about being taken from his comfort zone by Fast Eddie and put into some high-risk but high-reward situations, we tend to feel the same way. Through Vincent’s personal development (brought on by his love for the game, his love for Carmen, and this forced, almost-manipulated perspective by Eddie), an entire study on human nature is uncovered. In the end, The Color of Money starts as a simple student/coach dynamic with Nine-ball as the vehicle but eventually turns into a study on human nature and what it means to grow up.

With all respect to the other cast members, this theme would never have come across as strongly if it wasn’t for Cruise. He was just stepping into his prime as a Hollywood namesake, and his ambition towards acting came across with this specific role. Alas, almost 40 years have passed since the release, so any industry recognition is far gone, but if you want to see the film for yourself (and watch the duo of Cruise and Newman make magic on the screen), The Color of Money is available to rent on YouTube, Prime Video and Google Play.