Paul Newman is Fast Eddie Felson, the fastest-talking, sharpest-shooting pool shark in town. The film traces his struggle to gain the World Championship from the reigning pool king, Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Newman’s Fast Eddie symbolises the struggle of the down-and-out in America. The film features exceptional black and white photography (the cinematography won an Academy Award), and a witty, literate script based on the novel by Walter Tevis.