A retired pool hustler is forced to pick up the stick again when his brother starts a game he can't finish.
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Reviews
One of my all time favorites.
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
All Johnny Doyle his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) who it (Mars Callahan) ever wanted is to play pool against the best. He's got a mouth that won't shut up. For 15 years, his handler Joe (Chazz Palminteri) used Johnny to hustle pool and prevented him from entering tournaments. He tries to leave pool behind and go straight. When that turns sour, he goes back to pool. His girlfriend Tara (Alison Eastwood) hates him playing. His younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) thinks he's better than he actually is. He befriends Tara's boss Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken) by hustling a rival. Joe breaks Johnny's hand and has a new protégé in Brad (Rick Schroder).Mars Callahan's directing and acting is below par. However there is an audacious energy about this movie. He's shooting for both Swingers and The Hustler. Mars is nowhere near good enough to hit the target but he really tries. It's low budget indie with hard talk, real pool and some great actors. The big missing elements are a better director and a better leading man.
Bit of guilty pleasure this film.All of sudden Hollywood was quite as a church for Mars Callahan after this stinkbomb.For a movie about hustling, you'd think they would have made the hustles good. MadTV's The pool hustler sketch has better acting than this rancid turd of a film.Straight to DVD. It's like the SyFy channel made a pool film. Mega Whiteboy-Hustler vs Mega Punk-ass-lameTerrible actor, director & writer. I see 11 years later he seems to have hustled some more production money for something call Springbreak'83. 11 years........
There's nothing wrong with a pompous vanity project once in a while, but Mars Callahan's "Poolhall Junkies" is a movie that just really pushes it. It's basically just 90 minutes worth of Callahan shooting pool while doing a bad Robert De Niro impression, which isn't really my idea of entertainment. The acting performance is irritatingly weak, but somehow his writing gets to be even worse. As much as I love Tarantino, I do sorta resent him for all the untalented copycats his movies have spawned. Writing minute-long dialogues about absolutely nothing doesn't automatically make you clever, there is a little more to it. And if you're going to base your dialogues on Tarantino-like observations, please don't make any that stand-up comedians were already making twenty years ago. The only saving grace to "Poolhall Junkies" is that it's an independent film, which means that sooner or later Christopher Walken is bound to show up to at least give it one memorable moment. And what can I say, the man always delivers. Apart from that, this movie is pretty useless.
Mars Callahan is a genius. This movie is smart, funny, quick and angry. Poolhall prodigy Johnny was taken in as a child and 'mentored' by hustler Joe. He realizes when he gets older that Joe has stolen his chance to be a real professional pool player, and takes revenge. Joe does not take this betrayal lightly...and metes his own retribution on Johnny and his younger (and less pool-savvy) brother, Danny. It comes down to a final game where winner takes all....literally.Mars IS an amazing pool player from childhood and all the playing and tricks done in this movie are by him.Chris Walken, Chazz Palminteri and Rod Steiger all believe in Mars Callahan's vision or they never would have done this movie. Alison Eastwood is sharp as Mars' girlfriend. All his friends in the movie are so funny...the dialogue flows so effortlessly, it almost seems ad-libbed. Even Rick Schroeder (NYPD Blue, Silver Spoons) can pull a great performance out of his butt.I have watched this movie at least 30 or 40 times. I quote dialogue (Mars' ever-evolving speech is very quotable). I hope this will become a modern cult classic. I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for you. Just watch and enjoy.