Poolhall Junkies

This movie is a straight-up combination of Rounders, Diner, and The Color of Money. It is hard to watch for a single minute without thinking in the back of your head that you've seen the same exact thing somewhere else before. The acting leans towards wooden (except for the typically excellent Christopher Walken) and the script thinks it's more clever than it really is (example, the gag "hustle" about the RV salesman's shoes).

As a pool player, it's fun to see pool on film. Two caveats though. First, most of the pool footage is so zoomed-in that the shots are obviously being done by someone else in a different location, and it's jarring and distracting. Of course the actors can't all be expert pool players but it would be nice to see some of the clothing and scenery that you would expect, and not just balls on tables. Second, the characters are almost always playing 9-ball but also almost always trying to pocket all the balls, which is unrealistic. This may be a concession that a general audience will not know the rules of 9-ball but to anyone who does, it makes the pool scenes surreal.

Overall though I appreciate movies about pool and this movie is a solid effort, particularly at its relatively low production cost of $4M, so, a strong 7/10.

Poolhall Junkies is one of those little sweet pieces of film that can hold your attention throughout, get you to grin even when a joke isn't that funny, and let the viewer know debut filmmakers, such as Gregory "Mars" Martin, can still serve a purpose in a widening scumish movie season.

Martin plays Johnny Doyle, a poolroom hustler who after being controlled by a gangster (Palminterri) for fifteen years, breaks away in a sudden movie to go for bigger money. Unfortunately, his movie isn't helped by his cocky little brother (Rosenbaum) and friends who try to hustle the money for themselves only to get in deeper trouble with a semi-pro player.

The story and twists may have been seen in similar poolhall movies, yet the quick wit and even quicker style is on the mark. Lest I not forget, Steiger and Walken turn in two grand performances - Steiger, in his last film, as a weary poolroom worker, and Walken, who is very often both creepy and exceptional, gives fans a treat with a monologue that can only be compared to the one he gave in Pulp Fiction. Not everyone may follow this film, and it'll probably be out of theaters very soon, however it remains a treat for those who like quirky indie gangster movies. A-

The film Poolhall Junkies centers on pool shark Johnny (Mars Callahan), who breaks free from Joe (Chazz Palminteri), his mentor and one of the dirtiest hustlers around. He makes the break upon finding out that Joe hid his being invited to shoot with the pros from him, and from here things become violent and Joe breaks Johnny's hand. Joe uses pool shark Brad (Rick Schroder) to bring Johnny's younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) into the picture, as he hustles Danny and proceeds to beat him up and to threaten his life for the money he owes him. In the chaos, Danny tries to knock off a pawnshop and is arrested and imprisoned. It is then up to Johnny to play Brad for the cash to get his brother out of jail.

Director Mars Callahan successfully made this a film about achieving greatness. Throughout the film, we know Johnny has possibly missed his chance to be great. A chance many get once in a lifetime. But throughout the film, we see that Johnny is a great person, sticks to his morals (although they are a bit hazy), is a true friend, and always has some goodness at heart. At one point, Johnny swears off of the game, but returns when the stakes involve getting his girlfriend Tara (Alison Eastwood) her dream job in the law firm she happens to be interning at. In doing this, he meets and befriends her Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken), who backs him and gives him the money he needs to possibly win his final game.

The pivotal choice in music for this film is very original. It went very well with the key moments it was placed in. At one point in the final pool game, the two competitors pass by one another, and right at that point there is a howl in the music that has been playing throughout the game. This makes the meeting that much more exciting. This film was excellently pieced together, and probably both under credited and under viewed.

In a market that has been repeatedly saturated with compartmentalized film making, taking moments from other films and cut and pasting them into others. This was an unexpected success and a fun movie to watch. Well made, solid in its delivery, photographed beautifully, the shots are constantly moving not distracting or misleading they engage the viewer, you don't get bored watching several games of pool which is most defiantly not a spectator sport. Character development is another success. You know the characters throughout the film, you see the progress, it makes senses and there are no unexpected character jumps. There are some cheesy moments, but they lighten the movie. Not taking themselves so serious, is nice to see in what is a serious movie. With so much mainstream crap being flooded in the market; it was nice to go see a movie that kept me entertained without shoving as much preprogrammed junk in front of my face. I left happy and entertained!

I love this movie! I love how the movie was written AND directed. This was my favorite movie before I decided to go to school for TV and Video Production. I watch it now with a new view and still love it. It doesn't follow the same script we see in theaters today and I recommend it to everyone. The cast is great! Chazz Palmintri and Christopher Walken are excellent! I predict that this movie will become a cult classic. Watch it! I trust that those of you who take the time to watch this movie will not be disappointed. In case you didn't know I have to fill up 10 lines of text for this to be submitted so I will just ramble on till it becomes 10 lines. I'm getting close so enjoy the movie and watch it for yourself and then comment on this page. thanks Jessica