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Movies / On DVD / Poolhall Junkies
Poolhall Junkies

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Poolhall Junkies (2003)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:15

Rotten:29

Average Rating:4.6/10

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Feb 28, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $504,507

Synopsis: Pool hustling isn't everything it used to be, but it's still all about the cash. Joe (Chazz Palminteri) a shady pool hustler well-past his prime, is obsessed with the game and the cash and is... Pool hustling isn't everything it used to be, but it's still all about the cash. Joe (Chazz Palminteri) a shady pool hustler well-past his prime, is obsessed with the game and the cash and is willing to use anyone to get what he wants -- especially his young protégé Johnny (Mars Callahan). In the tradition of The Hustler, Gold Circle Films presents a Mars Callahan film, the story of a young pool shark who shoots lights out and wants to become a professional pool player. Joe is convinced that Johnny moves the rock (the cue ball) better than the best hustlers ever did, but Johnny's dreams are a cut above this life and senses that Joe is holding him back. After fifteen years playing Joe's angles, Johnny's sick of the con and wants to leave the hustle behind. After discovering Joe’s underhanded and self-serving manipulations Johnny finally has the guts to leave Joe. But "payback's a bitch" and Joe won't be taken so easily. On his own, Johnny quickly discovers the tedium of the "real" world and a life without pool. After trudging to work at a series of loser day jobs, Johnny is miserable and bored, and itches to have his cue in hand again. Through his law student girlfriend, Tara (Alison Eastwood), who loves Johnny but not the games he plays, he meets wealthy lawyer Mike (Christopher Walken) who becomes a fan of Johnny's game. Without Joe in his life, Johnny's "family" consists of the guys he knows from his favorite pool hall "Hardtimes" and its proprietor Nick ( Rod Steiger). Hungry for action, he finds himself spending most of his time there. Central to the pool hall is his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) who, along with an entourage of good-for-laughs-die-for-you best friends, is attempting to follow in Johnny's footsteps. Meanwhile Joe is bent on revenge for Johnny's defiance and now he has a new protégé Brad (Rick Schroder), who is just as good, if not better than Johnny. Joe's got his eye on hustling Danny and his friends. Soon, Brad and Danny are playing a high-stakes game of pool ending with Danny owing Joe a huge sum of money, with no way to pay him. Desperate for cash, Danny enacts a heist to pay off Joe, but everything goes wrong and soon Johnny finds his brother in jail. With options and time running out, Johnny must make a final stand against his former mentor, Joe and the result is a "race to nine" showdown with Brad "the pro". The stakes are high -- with Johnny’s future, Mike's bankroll, Danny's bail money, and of course, the "love of a good woman" all on the table! -- © Gold Circle Films [More]

Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Rick Schroder, Christopher Walken, Rod Steiger

Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Rick Schroder, Christopher Walken, Rod Steiger, Michael Rosenbaum, Mars Callahan, Allison Eastwood

Director: Mars Callahan

Director: Mars Callahan
Screenwriter: Chris Corso, Mars Callahan
Producer: Tucker Tooley, Vincent Newman, Karen Beninati
Composer: Richard Glasser
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

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Release:

Aug 26, 2003

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Reviews for Poolhall Junkies

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/29/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
11/11/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

The fast-paced picture sizzles with energy, and it’s a tour de force for Mars Callahan, who co-wrote and directed.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
09/26/03
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

A lowlife billiards drama that lacks the drive and edginess of the classic The Hustler, Poolhall Junkies does get by on its humor, energy and earnest charm.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
09/14/03
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

With a better lead and more inspired direction, Poolhall Junkies might have been decent entertainment. But Callahan the actor is the biggest liability in Callahan the director's film.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/07/03
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

If you saw this film, then you were hustled.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/31/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/20/03
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

When Christopher Walken saunters into Poolhall Junkies, he kicks it from so-so to worthwhile.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/16/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

This brash little indie is oddly endearing and fun to be around.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/15/03
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though there's not much in Poolhall Junkies we haven't seen many times before, the film manages to remain mostly entertaining due mostly to some surprisingly effective performances and a brisk pace.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
04/13/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It's disreputable, occasionally ludicrous and merely kinda fun.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
03/25/03
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

About as disposable as a B-movie can get.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/22/03
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

Whatever you want to say about this Mars Callaghan -- who is an avid cue-man in real life -- he would seem to be able to sink anything. Darned if he doesn't make this whole movie disappear.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
03/21/03
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The snappy dialogue and cool characters provide enough pure entertainment to make this is a fun flick.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
03/21/03
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies

I haven't enjoyed a cheesy, over-acted B-movie as much since Eddie And The Cruisers.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
03/21/03
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

The result is by no means the embarrassment that many such offerings from unjustifiably vain actor-auteurs have been, but nor does it present much of anything new or compelling to demand one's attention.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
03/21/03
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Dallas Observer

As a director, Callahan wants the verve that Martin Scorsese brought to The Color of Money, but his visual approach is careless, relying too much on clichéd slo-mo and hasty edits.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/21/03
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie does feature enough amiable characters to keep you interested throughout and even more so if you're a fan of pool.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
03/12/03
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Dull and lifeless.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/07/03
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Filmcritic.com
 
 
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