Hated the guy's politics, but gotta give credit where credit is due ...
Gee, Iron Jack, I was just gonna say that for me, his breakout BREAKOUT role was in THE VERDICT....and that, at just past 50. He seemed to redefine himself as an actor in that role, a troubled, down-at-heels lawyer who gets a case that presents him with a chance to redeem himself in his own eyes.
Loved THE HUSTLER,everything about it, and that was a pivotal role that helped established his stardom, from the early sixties (or was it 1960?)It was also a movie that stood out because of the great ensemble acting, virtually everyone in it was great, and surprisingly great : Scott, Gleason, Piper Laurie.
But it was THE VERDICT that cast him in a new light.
VERY MUCH the same way that THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE re-established Hollywood veteran Robert Mitchum for me.