Hard Knuckle

It's true that this is no masterpiece, however, for a pool movie it is really something different and a good time. A post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland is the setting for the future in billiards. Who new pool would make it through the next stage of humanity? *just kidding* I enjoyed this movie enough to watch it twice. There are parts of this film that will make you realize just how bad they want to gamble. You got to love it when they play on the Knuckle Table. It has a small monolith style block in the middle of the table. If you knock over the block, you lose a knuckle off you hand. Yes, folks, billiards has "evolved" to risking life and, OK maybe just limb! We have a hero, Harry, who is a hustler striving to prove he is the best around. I'm not sure how a true hustler would want to be known as the best, but hey, it's the movies! His sidekick is his tiny (and I must say very cute) Chihuahua dog and he picks up a kid as his betting manager. It the future it seems you have to have a manager or agent, in order to gamble pool with the big boys! The plot is Harry's desire to play this guy called Top-Dog. Although he is not allowed to just play him. He must play up through the ranks (kind of like boxing) and he has to have enough cash to even compete. Through all the hustles, bar fights, and (yes) even a little (and I do mean "a little") romantic drama, Harry finds himself deciding on whether or not to take on a risk that he was never willing to take on before.