Robert Rossen

A mysterious young woman in an elite sanitarium in New England seems to weave a magical spell on a young man with an equally obscure past. Their relationship deepens leading to a shocking conclusion.

New York. Ames Billiards, with high ceilings and air of hushed concentration, is a church of pool. "Fast" Eddie Felson enters as an innocent con man and leaves with a taste of what the world can do, that talent alone will only get him so far, and that a man's search for "character," that hard-to-define quality that is simultaneously elusive and essential, could last a lifetime. Having come to take on pool legend Minnesota Fats, Eddie is soundly beaten...

This is the story of working class hero Southern demagogue Willie Stark--rising from the mud of the back country--and his long climb to the top, followed by his longer drop to the bottom. Abetted by newspaper reporter Jack Burden, who becomes his chronicler, Stark's career begins with running for county treasurer and losing. Through law school, private practice, and finally as people's advocate against corruption, he moves up the political ladder....