Not so much a sports movie, but rather a film that deals with the business of sport, Hustle has something in common with Oliver Stone’s thunderous American football drama, Any Given Sunday. The sport in this case is basketball – Adam Sandler plays Stanley, a jaded scout who hauls himself around the world in search of fresh talent – but the film is charged with a similar kinetic crackle to that of Stone’s picture.
Stanley’s enthusiasm for the game is dulled by the corporate muscle flexing of his boss (Ben Foster), and his health is taking a beating from the room service. Then he spots a Spaniard, Bo Cruz (played by NBA star Juancho Hernangomez), playing ball on the street, hustling opponents for cash. And he sees raw talent.
There’s plenty here that is predictable – the training montages, the rags to riches story arc – and it’s a conventional choice for director Jeremiah Zagar, after his poetic debut We the Animals. But this is quality film-making, with enough that’s distinctive – Dan Deacon’s score is a pulsing, panicky jolt of energy – to appeal beyond basketball fans.