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Poolhall Junkies
(Reviewed February 28, 2003)
-
Some nice trick shots in the hustling scenes (even though the direction makes each billiard match pretty much impossible to follow), but not much of a movie overall. Writer/director/star Mars Callahan ("Mars Callahan?") bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the always off-putting Edward Burns, and the "buncha guys" dialog among him and his band of doofuses is strained and dumb. A plot development toward the end is so ridiculously unbelievable that it makes suspension-of-disbelief bounce off the felt and roll right out the door. Also, there is a cheap-'n'-cheesy "maxed-out credit cards" indie feel to the flick that is hard to overlook, even with the presence of Christopher Walken (doing his always-watchable "Christopher Walken" thang) and Rick Schroder (who actually makes a pretty good badass, believe it or not).
So how come I bestowed a rather generous C as a grade? Simple: This movie has an absolutely GREAT final twist. When it dawns on you what has happened, you will smile like an idiot, smack yourself in the forehead, and shout, "God-DAMN, that was clever!" No kiddin', it's that good!
Back Row Grade: C
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