But it was a classic case of too-little-too-late (Newman didn t even bother to attend the ceremony), made all the more bittersweet by the fact that the actor should have won for his initial portrayal of Fast Eddie Felson (instead, fifth-billed Maximilian Schell won for a role in Judgment at Nuremberg Already adept at playing likable heels, Newman ratchets up the swagger as the rising pool-hall regular who sets his sights on taking down the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). A rocky romance develops with an alcoholic (Piper Laurie), while a pool-hall bargain is struck with a shady backer (George C. Nominated for nine Academy Awards (including Best Picture and all four aforementioned actors), this deservedly won for Best Black-and-White Art Direction and Best Black-and-White Cinematography.
Talk about bad timing: Did Newman even have a reasonable shot at the Oscar for 1982? On one side was s Ben Kingsley (the Academy s choice) and on the other was s Dustin Hoffman (my choice), and even the sentimental factor -- coupled, of course, with that note-perfect performance -- wasn t enough to place him in the winner s circle. Working from David Mamet s lean script (adapted from Barry Reed s novel), Newman stars as a boozy lawyer struggling down the comeback trail via a medical malpractice suit.
No one gives him a shot at winning, especially against a polished opposing attorney (James Mason), which means he also has self-doubt functioning as one of the challenges placed before him. This was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and nods for Newman and Mason.
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