Poolhall Junkies

Johnny is a skilled pool player who has spent years under the control of Joe, a mentor who dictates how and with whom he plays. Wanting out of that life, Johnny leaves Joe behind and, at the urging of his girlfriend, takes a regular job. He finds ordinary work harder than he expected, and the pull of easy money draws him back to the tables, where a wealthy and mysterious backer named Mac supports his return to high-stakes gambling. Joe, resentful of the break, trains a new protégé named Brad, whose ability rivals Johnny's, and turns him toward Johnny's younger brother. To settle what his brother's involvement sets in motion, Johnny must face Brad in a decisive match.

Poolhall Junkies was released in 2002. Mars Callahan directed from a screenplay he wrote with Chris Corso, and also stars as Johnny. Chazz Palminteri plays Joe, with Christopher Walken, Rod Steiger, Ricky Schroder and Michael Rosenbaum in supporting roles. It was produced by Newman/Tooley Films, Gold Circle Films and Cutting Edge Entertainment on a budget of about 4 million dollars. This is Callahan's first feature as director.

On IMDb it holds 6.8/10 from roughly 12,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.3/10 from a much smaller base of 96 votes. A critics' rating of 4.7/10 from 43 reviews places it well below the audience scores.