- The life of Lou, a pool hustler, disintegrates through his association with the beautiful and sophisticated Sylvia, who refuses to understand or accept his way of life.
- Inspired by the life and talents of Minnessota Fats, 'The Player' tells it like it really is in the world of pool. It's got action, lots of it, romance, if you dig it, and pool like you've never seen played before. Writer-director Thomas DeMartini brilliantly blends romance and action in his realistic sketch of Jerry Como, a pool hustler, whose character disintegrates through his association with Sylvia (Rae Phillips), who refuses to understand or accept his way of life.
- Professional pool player Lou Marchesi is highly respected for his integrity as well as his skill at the game. One day, his girl friend, Linda, introduces Lou to her old friend Sylvia. Taken with Sylvia's beauty and sophistication, Lou falls in love with her, even though his friend Bill warns him that she is an opportunist. Sylvia is only interested in Lou's money and makes no effort to understand him or his love of the game, and as a result, they begin to quarrel frequently. Frustrated by their relationship, Lou decides to take to the road to give Sylvia some time to think about their future. During Lou's absence, Sylvia moves in with Bill. Lou, meanwhile, is touring the country, hustling people at pool games, something to which he vowed he would never sink. One day, Lou meets his old friend, famous player Minnesota Fats, and challenges him to a game. Knowing that his chances of winning are slim, Lou cheats in an effort to win, but Fats catches him, prompting the local player who is also in the game to demand his money back. Convinced that he was robbed, Lou ambushes the local man in a dark alley as he leaves the pool room, and after breaking a bottle of whiskey over his head, steals his money and returns home. When Lou finds that Sylvia has moved in with Bill, he returns to his old pool hall, angry and disappointed. There he finds Jack Colavita, another famous player, and in an effort to save his pride, challenges Colavita to a game. While Linda watches, Lou loses all his money as Colavita handily wins the game. After Lou walks out of the pool hall, broke and dejected, Linda follows and they reconcile.
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![Minnesota Fats, Jerry Como, and Rae Phillips in The Player (1971)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmRlZjgzNTctYzhhOS00NzViLTliY2YtMDRhZjQ5MTRkYzVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTY5Nzc4MDY@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,5,90,133_.jpg)