Poolhall Junkies (2002)

Quoting from a score of tough-guy classics like THE HUSTLER, MEAN STREETS, and ON THE WATERFRONT, Mars Callahan writes, directs, and stars in this saga of pool and redemption. Johnny (Callahan) is a natural ace player held back from the pro circuit by his greedy mentor Joe (Chazz Palminteri), who wants to keep him hustling in smoky pool halls. At the encouragement of his law student girlfriend (Alison Eastwood), Johnny tries to go straight. Of course he has a kid brother (Michael Rosenbaum) who idealizes him in all the wrong ways; when he winds up in big trouble, only Johnny can bail him out by going back to the ...
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life he left behind. Christopher Walken shows up and steals the show as a strange lawyer who bankrolls Johnny against Joe in the big game climax. Rick Schroder plays the pro Johnny must beat to save the day; Rod Steiger is the hall's grizzled proprietor.

POOLHALL JUNKIES is a lot of fun. Callahan's infectious love of the game shines through in every spectacular shot and Walken is at his bizzaro best. Fans of the films Callahan emulates should appreciate his heartfelt homage to cinematic coolness.
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A small-time pool shark with dreams of the big time seeks revenge against the mentor who did him wrong in this drama. Johnny Doyle (Mars Callahan) was a teenaged orphan when Joe (Chazz Palminteri) took him under his wing and taught him everything there is to know about shooting pool. Johnny became a genius with a cue, but while he dreamed of becoming a respected professional billiards player, Joe preferred to keep him working along the lower rungs of pool hustling. When Johnny learns just how far Joe has gone to keep him down, Johnny breaks away from him, but Joe and his thugs take revenge against Johnny by break...
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ing his wrists. Tara (Alison Eastwood), Johnny's upper-crust girlfriend, urges him to get out of the pool racket, and Johnny grudgingly agrees, though he feels empty without the excitement of the table. Johnny renews ties with his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum), and begins to fear he's going to fall into the same sort of traps that snared him -- especially when he finds out that Joe has his eyes on Danny. Johnny decides to give pool playing another go, and teams up with Mike (Christopher Walken), who bankrolls hustlers and would like to take Joe down a notch or two. But Joe has found a new player, Brad (Rick Schroder), whose talent rivals Johnny's, and he's not sure if he knows a way to beat him on the green felt. Poolhall Junkies also features Rod Steiger in one of his final roles; the film didn't see theatrical release until nearly nine months after his death.
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Johnny is geobsedeerd door de 'pool-wereld' en kan één van de besten worden. Hij wordt echter tegengehouden door zijn mentor en trainer Joe, een louche figuur. Uiteindelijk besluit Johnny te breken met Joe en stuurt wat vrienden op hem af, zodat Joe hem voortaan met rust zal laten. Hij krijgt een fatsoenlijke baan in de bouw en ziet zijn broertje daar meer en meer naar de verkeerde mensen trekken. Joe heeft inmiddels een nieuwe protégé en ontmoet bovendien Johnny's broer...

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