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THE VERDICT
May 29, 2019  | By David Bianculli

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

 

Paul Newman has been showcased in many, many excellent movies as Star of the Month on TCM in May – but as we get near the end of the month, and the end of Newman’s film resume, some of his very best performances and films have been saved for last. Exhibit A: This 1982 courtroom drama, written by David Mamet, in which Newman plays an alcoholic attorney who summons the drive and self-respect to tackle one more tough legal case, and give it the energy and combativeness it requires. Co-stars include Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden and James Mason – but this is Newman’s movie, and one of his all-time great screen triumphs. It earned him one of his 10 Oscar nominations for Best Actor, but not a win: His only Academy Award victory in that category came four years later, for The Color of Money, in which Newman reprised the role of pool player “Fast Eddie,” a role Newman played originally in The Hustler back in 1961. And for other late-career Newman classic on TCM before June arrives, stay tuned for 1977’s hockey comedy, Slap Shot, tonight at midnight.

 
 
 
 
 
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