Remembering Paul Newman

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Remembering Paul Newman

Written by Arya Ponto

Saturday, 27 September 2008

Legendary actor Paul Newman passed away yesterday at the age of 83. Newman was 83 and died of cancer in his home in Westport, Connecticut. He was one of the greats, a terrific actor and a top movie star that still owned that quality even in his twilight years.

To remember this man's accomplishments, I thought we'd take a look at what I consider to be his Top 5 must-see movies. Newman once joked that his Paul Newman brand of salad dressing was out-grossing his movies. Whether or not it's true, those salad dressings won't be remembered as fondly as these five films.

	Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid Out of all the westerns I've seen and loved, this movie is one of those that I'll always remember vividly, and not just because of the iconic immortalized ending. And no, not for that damn "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" song. The chemistry between Newman (Butch Cassidy) and Robert Redford (Sundance Kid) in this movie is both hilarious and touching—it's what makes the ending so memorable. Just two guys, their guns, and a long road of bullets to salvation.
	The Hustler Most people nowadays remember The Color of Money. It's more recent, it had a young and brash Tom Cruise dancing with pool cues, it was directed by Martin Scorsese, and it won Paul Newman his one and only Oscar in 10 nominations. But it was still a sequel to a much superior film (and performance): The Hustler. In fact, most folks agree that his Oscar was just an apology for not giving it to him earlier for The Hustler. The movie explores the cost of winning in the world of pool hustling. It's not only one of the best sports movies there is, but it's also a riveting drama of one man's reluctant discovery of what's really at stake in his life.
	The Sting Reuniting the director and two stars of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid four years later, The Sting is another lighthearted caper film starring Newmand and Redford as partners-in-crime, but this time set in 1930s Chicago, with the two playing con-men out to swindle a mob boss. The coolest thing about this film? It's divided into four chapters (The Set-Up, The Hook, The Tale and The Sting) which are named after the four steps in a con game, but also obviously describes a screenplay structure.
	The Verdict This is one of those hard-hitting courtroom dramas made by two of the best men in the game. David Mamet scripted it and Sydney Lumet directed, it's a story of down-and-out lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case to trial even though all parties are willing to settle; at first to save his own career, but eventually he learns that going to court is the right thing to do, so the guilty can be punished. Newman delivers a fantastic performance as an alcoholic lawyer fighting his way to redemption, earning him yet another Oscar nomination.
	Cool Hand Luke Saved the best for last! This is one of the best prison movies ever made. It is definitely the coolest. All of these other films have great performances by Newman, but this is a cool performance (it's in the title!). Newman plays the cool Luke, a man sent to prison for a misdemeanor (he cut the heads of parking meters) but quickly becomes a prison hero for his anti-authoritarian attitude. This is the ultimate "F-ck the man!" movie, with a hero refusing to be broken into conformity no matter how badly he's treated.