Poolhall Junkies (2002)

A talented pool hustler who has stayed out of the game for years, must go back to his old ways when his little brother gets involved with his enemy, the very man who held him back from greatness.

Director:

Mars Callahan

Writers:

Mars Callahan, Chris Corso

Stars:

Mars Callahan, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Rosenbaum

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chazz Palminteri	...	Joe
Ricky Schroder	...	Brad (as Rick Schroder)
Rod Steiger	...	Nick
Michael Rosenbaum	...	Danny
Mars Callahan	...	Johnny
Alison Eastwood	...	Tara
Phillip Glasser	...	Max
Anson Mount	...	Chris
Glenn Plummer	...	Chico
Richard Portnow	...	Toupee Jay
Ernie Reyes Jr.	...	Tang
Peter Mark Richman	...	Phillip
Christopher Walken	...	Mike
Mike Massey	...	Louis
Orien Richman	...	Brett

Storyline

Obsessed by the world of pool, Johnny (Mars Callahan) could be one of the best. But his mentor and "trainer" Joe (Chazz Palminteri), a shady hustler who decides how and who Johnny plays, is holding him back from his dream. When the day finally comes, Johnny breaks from Joe, which leads to only one thing -- violence. Joe is beaten up by some of Johnny's buddies as a sign to leave him alone, and with this final act of freedom, Johnny leaves the world of pool-sharking. After an ultimatum from his girlfriend Tara ('Alison Eastwood'), Johnny finally commits to a "real" job in the construction business, but is soon miserable there. He finds himself spending most of his time with his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) who it seems is following in his footsteps on the road to a life Johnny left when he broke from Joe. As for Joe, he is bent on revenge for the beating he took, and soon he has a new protégé Brad (Rick Schroder) who is just as good if not better then Johnny. And he's got ...

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Plot Keywords:

money | hustler | jail | beating | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Being hooked on the game could cost you your life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sport | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Biliárd életre-halálra

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$301,856, 2 March 2003

Gross USA:

$563,711

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$563,711

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gold Circle Films, Cutting Edge Entertainment, Newman/Tooley Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The band scene was filmed at the Dead Goat Saloon in the Arrowhead Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah. The only differences between the movie version and the real saloon are the drapes behind the band and that the dance floor does not have round tables.

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Goofs

When Brad and Johnny are arguing about the "impossible" shot at the end, the position of the chalk on the table changes between shots.

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Quotes

Danny Doyle: Hey Moose I was watching TV with your wife last night. Stupid bitch took her two hours to watch 60 Minutes.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, a brief scene is played where Danny and Max bet Chris and Tang that Scarlet's breasts are fake.

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Connections

References Rounders (1998)

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Soundtracks

Cap N Crunch
Written by P.C. Irving and Tim Bryson
Published by JRM Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Megatrax Production Music, Inc.

User Reviews

worth watching and excellent if you play too

Christopher Walken happens to be one of my favourites, and it was a nice surprise to see him in this film - but even without his charismatic acting, it would surely have been worth the time. Excellent showing of the game at it's brilliant best, it is also pretty funny, mostly believable (even tho a couple of times the hustling was made a bit too easy) and has more depth than Color of Money or the old one which had Minnesota Fats in it.. forgot the name of that one.

I'd double rate this film 9-10 for pool players, 7-9 for others.

Oh and the guy playing the hustler is a nice find, hope to see him in some other new films too.