Poolhall Junkies

My grandparents babysat my great-uncle's pool table for twenty years while I was growing up and I learned the game on that table. My brothers were gifted in angles, velocity and control. Me, I fell short of those, but I still enjoy the game.

Johnny (Mars Callahan) never wanted to be a pool-hustler, but he trusted the wrong backer. His handler, Joe (Chazz Palminteri,) blocks his way to the pool-hall professionals, and when Johnny finds out, he quits. After a few dead-end jobs, trying to be honest, he quits and returns to the pool-hall. His brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) is following close on his brother's footsteps, but he's not hip to the game and ends up losing hard to a big-shot hustler. Danny breaks into a pawn shop to cover his debt and gets arrested. So Johnny's got to play to save his brother and pay off the debt.

This movie fits well for the Saturday afternoon movie on Ion Television at 3pm; one of those obscure films you pass by on a lap around the dial. The story is a bit disorganized with some elements that add credibility. Writer-Director-Star Callahan knows his material well and how to shoot compellingly. His casting is credible with stars like Palminteri, Rosenbaum, Rick Schroder and Christopher Walken each with pretty solid performances. However, his writing needed just a little more time and his dialogue some work. The jargon works, but the actors just aren't comfortable. The only player totally comfortable is Callahan himself. The movie's not a bad concept; however, the execution is a little rocky. The sub-sub-plot with Danny's friends, for instance, freezes the main plot like an ancient parking lot speed bump, the kind you always take at 5mph no matter what kind of hurry you're in. This knocked the credibility and beauty off so much that the film is a bit like Danny and his friends, a bit naive and immature.


****

In: Alison Eastwood

Out: Rick Shroeder

Coming Soon: Crimson Tide