Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

viewsonfilm.com To begin this review, I would just like to say that the only true false note in this movie is its name. Poolhall Junkies sounds like a flat out "direct to DVD" title to me. So I did some research and found out that it actually played in about 180 theatres in the spring of 2003. It is in fact a decent film and therefore above the whole "rental" stamp that so many moviegoers label a lukewarm experience at the local multiplex. "Junkies" doesn't take itself too seriously and that's part of its charm. But it does try to get the audience's attention in a big way. Characters deliver their lines at a "look at me" persona. To a fault it works. Therefore, I bought the performances and the story knowing that I wasn't ultimately viewing a cinematic masterpiece. And heck, when you're watching a film that registers as screen legend Rod Steiger's last role, you might as well pay your respects.With that in mind, I decided to view Poolhall Junkies after leaving it unattended for a few years. If I had to pick the brain of director Mars Callahan (he also plays the lead role of master pool hustler Johnny Doyle), I'd say he's not shooting (ha ha) a film about a bunch of guys who hang out in pool halls. "Junkies" is more of a character study of his Doyle not wanting to be a hustler but yearning to play on the pro tour. He gets sidetracked in the beginning of the movie when his "trainer" Joe (played with snarling intensity by Chazz Palminteri) holds him back from his dream by forbidding him to compete. "Junkies" then fast forwards to 15 years later with Johnny breaking away from the clutches of Joe and finding his own way. That's the blueprint. From there on it's a fast talking, no holds barred tour of the bleakness that inhabits the world of pool-sharking. As the movie walks the tightrope between intense drama and dry humor, we find Callahan's character eventually trying to break out his brother from jail (Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum) by competing in a big steaks money match against Joe's protégé Brad (Rick Schroeder channeling his inner Steve McQueen or trying to look like him (take your pick)). I don't want to give away too much of the story but be on the lookout for master thespian Christopher Walken (Doyle's financial backer) delivering a speech about lions on the nature channel. It's one of the hidden pleasures that screenwriter Chris Corso throws in to garner this quote machine of a movie a serious cult following (especially with people in the pool community).To be frank (that's the attitude "Junkies" permeates), it helps if you embrace this film for what it is. Granted, it's not a viewing experience that will change your life. It's more like a beer and pizza flick on movie hypertension. It's not healthy but it satisfies.

dodgetazer 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........

Mines 2000 If you are a pool aficionado you will LOVE it! If you are a Movie Critic you will be on the fence. The film has the potential to be a really good movie, it just needs a do over. The story is there, but it has a lot of weak spots, primarily in some situations and the dialog. Rick Schroeder does a nice job, but, does the 13th ranked pool player in the country really get hooked up with the likes of Joe for nickel and dime cash? The story indicates that Johnny quit pool for "a long time". The movie does not let that come across. It feels more like a few weeks. Johnny comes home from playing the pro, missed his girls birthday but she has sex with him and proceeds to be angry in the morning. Does a drug dealer with tons of back up really head out to his car with a brief case filled with money, alone? Does Johnny really need Nick to tell him how to play a shot "It's a 2 Rail Safety, Your right, thanks Nick" Really? Watch the movie and judge for yourself. if you love pool, you will like the movie.

Emblem1616 The only good thing about this movie is that it is about pool. The script seems like it was written by someone with ADHD. It is packed with cliché dialog and way too many side stories which amount to nothing and elicit no emotional response. The hustles seem like they were conceived by a 7th grader who just discovered deception and semantics. The synopsis should be, albeit a run-on sentence:"One of the best pool players in the world, who stopped playing seriously for no reason, needs to rescue his brother after he makes a bet he can't afford with someone he can't beat and then gets thrown in jail for robbing a pawn shop to try to pay it off."Usually when something like this happens, the viewer should have an emotional investment in one or more characters which would make them want to root for the main character. I couldn't really feel bad for someone who, through arrogance, made a legitimate bet with the wrong guy, lost fair and square, and then tried to rob someone else to pay for it.I will admit, I love pool, and so the parts where they actually played were entertaining, you've got to like Christopher Walken, and it had decent camera work.The only thing that kept me interested throughout this movie was pool. Other than that, it's a shame, but I don't see any other redeeming qualities in this movie. It could have been so, so, so much better.