Poolhall Junkies


1h 34m 2003

Brief Synopsis

Obsessed by the world of pool, Johnny could be one of the best. But his mentor and "trainer" Joe, a shady hustler who decides how and who Johnny plays, is holding him back from his dream. When the day finally comes, Johnny breaks from Joe. This leads to only one thing--violence. Joe is beaten up by

Film Details

Also Known As
Pool Hall Junkies, Pool Room Junkie
MPAA Rating
Genre
Drama
Sports
Thriller
Release Date
2003
Distribution Company
Gold Circle Releasing/Samuel Goldwyn Films

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 34m

Synopsis

Obsessed by the world of pool, Johnny could be one of the best. But his mentor and "trainer" Joe, a shady hustler who decides how and who Johnny plays, is holding him back from his dream. When the day finally comes, Johnny breaks from Joe. This leads to only one thing--violence. Joe is beaten up by some of Johnny's buddies as a sign to leave him alone, and with this final act of freedom Johnny leaves the world of pool-sharking. However, Joe is hell-bent on seeking revenge for the beating he took, and he soon finds a new protégé, Brad, who is just as good--if not better than Johnny. The two are pit against each other in a "race to nine" showdown that ends up in a high-stakes game of pool for large sums of money, respect, and more importantly--Johnny and his brother Danny's life.

Crew

Aaron Alexander

Assistant Sound Editor

Michael Anthony

Assistant Sound Editor

Chris August

Foley Artist

Paul E Avery

Lighting Technician

Brian Baade

Property Master

Jasmine Bailey

Hair

Jasmine Bailey

Makeup

Roe Baker

Casting

Nick Barfuss

Hair

Nick Barfuss

Makeup

Billy Bates

Stunt Coordinator

Billy Bates

Unit Director

Diane Beam

Set Production Assistant

Karen Beninati

Producer

William Bergman

Song

Jonilyn Bissett

Accounting Assistant

Charles Blaker

Song

Chuck Borden

Stunt Double

Alex Boynton

Lighting Technician

Paul Brooks

Executive Producer

James Brown

Song Performer

James Brown

Song

Mike Browning

Best Boy Electric

Tim Bryson

Song

Mars Callahan

Screenplay

Andrew Casciato

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Andrew Casciato

Sound Effects Editor

Rachel Chabries

Assistant Camera

Shawn Chou

Assistant

Dan Christensen

Boom Operator

Chris Corso

Screenplay

Brad Costill

Driver

Tom Cox

Lighting Technician

Paul Crosby

Song

Jennifer Cusentino

Coordinator

Chris Dabaldo

Song

Maxim Dembow

Song

Maxim Dembow

Music

Maxim Dembow

Song Performer

Robin Dimaggio

Song

Robin Dimaggio

Song Performer

Robin Dimaggio

Music

Dave Dinnall

Song

John Carlo Dwyer

Song

James Ent

Caterer

Dave Erickson

Assistant Camera

Steven Erickson

Dialogue Editor

Steven Erickson

Adr Editor

Nathan Esplin

Driver

Judy Evers

Costume Supervisor

Samuel Fischer

Chief Lighting Technician

Samuel Fischer

Medic

Leigh French

Voice Casting

Terry Gaertner

Production Coordinator

Lenny Gall

Production Assistant

Effney Gardea

Driver

Joe Garland

Song

Peter Geoco

Sound Mixer

Carol Gillson

Co-Executive Producer

Richard Glasser

Music

Nick Groce

Production Assistant

Jeff Gross

Song

Jeff Gross

Song Performer

Jeff Gross

Music

Ilene Grossman-arciaga

Music Supervisor

Brady Hallogen

Titles And Opticals

Michael Hamm

Consultant

Juli Harrison

Set Costumer

Gerald Hartley

Sound Mixer

John Hermansen

Associate Producer

John Hermansen

Assistant Director

Sean Hewitt

Titles And Opticals

Kevin L Hiatt

Song

Jeremy Hoenack

Dialogue Editor

Jeremy Hoenack

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Jeremy Hoenack

Adr Editor

Jeremy Hoenack

Supervising Sound Editor

P C Irving

Song

Bill Jeffs

Driver

Ben Jensen

Stunt Double

Kate Jesse

Boom Operator

Jeff Johnson

Casting Director

Jessica Jordan

Script Supervisor

Dennis Jorgenson

Driver

Heather Joyce

Coordinator

Todd Kleitsch

Makeup

Dennis Kurumada

Steadicam Operator

Robert Laliberte

Production Designer

Nancy Lanham

Coproducer

R Scott Laoughran

Assistant Director

Robert Leblanc

Technical Advisor

Nicole Lee

Art Director

Dakota Lucas

Assistant Sound Editor

Rodd Mann

Assistant Location Manager

Paul H Maritsas

Sound Mixer

David Mastron

Post-Production Accountant

Catherine A. Mccabe

Assistant Director

Catrine Mcgregor

Casting Director

Darren Mclaughlin

Grip

Ron Mendelsohn

Song

David Julian Mendoza

Assistant Director

Glenn Miller

Song Performer

Linda L Miller

Unit Production Manager

Robert Morris

Director Of Photography

Don Muirhead

Steadicam Operator

Jeff Murray

Transportation Coordinator

Douglas Nelson

Craft Service

Vincent Newman

Producer

Scott Niemeyer

Co-Executive Producer

Joseph A Nittolo

Co-Executive Producer

Wayne Novotny

Song

James O'keefe

Driver

Jeffery Peterson

Caterer

Kristin Peterson

Costume Designer

Lamond Reynolds

Driver

Maria Ricatta

Sound

Kristina Santoro

Location Manager

Josey Sappington

Song

Charles Sargent

Grip

Rita Schrag

Titles And Opticals

Andrew Schrivner

Best Boy Grip

Edward Smith

Driver

W Sam Smith

Driver

Noah Southall

Adr Mixer

Seve Spracklen

Production Accountant

John Starks

Song

Jack Stewart

Assistant Camera

Jim Stewart

Titles And Opticals

Darcy Stilson

Craft Service

Nathan Stock

Boom Operator

Carol Stutz

Assistant Editor

Dana Swartout

Transportation Captain

Tracey-lee Taylor

Photography

Vincent Tolman

Set Production Assistant

James Tooley

Editor

Tucker Tooley

Producer

Alex Torres

Key Grip

Norm Waitt

Executive Producer

Dustin Ward

Production Assistant

Todd Warren

Stunt Double

Fred Wesley

Song

Louis Williams

Grip

Chuck Winston

Color Timer

Bill Withers

Song

Bill Withers

Song Performer

Carla Woodmansee

Extras Agent/Coordinator

Michael Worthen

Assistant Camera

Tomoaki Yamamoto

Loader

Yong Yun

Production Assistant

Yong Yun

Extras Agent/Coordinator

Travis Zariwny

Assistant Camera

Film Details

Also Known As
Pool Hall Junkies, Pool Room Junkie
MPAA Rating
Genre
Drama
Sports
Thriller
Release Date
2003
Distribution Company
Gold Circle Releasing/Samuel Goldwyn Films

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 34m

Articles

TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger


ROD STEIGER, 1925 - 2002

From the docks of New York to the rural back roads of Mississippi to the war torn Russian steppes, Rod Steiger reveled in creating some of the most overpowering and difficult men on the screen. He could be a total scoundrel, embodying Machiavelli's idiom that "it's better to be feared than loved" in the movies. But as an actor he refused to be typecast and his wide range included characters who were secretly tormented (The Pawnbroker, 1965) or loners (Run of the Arrow, 1965) or eccentrics (The Loved One, 1965).

Along with Marlon Brando, Steiger helped bring the 'Method School' from the Group Theater and Actors Studio in New York to the screens of Hollywood. The Method technique, taught by Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, insisted on complete immersion into the character's psyche and resulted in intense, dramatic performances and performers. Steiger made his first significant screen appearance as Brando's older brother in On the Waterfront (1954). Their climatic scene together in a taxicab is one of the great moments in American cinema.

It was a short leap from playing a crooked lawyer in On the Waterfront to playing the shady boxing promoter in The Harder They Fall (1956). Based on the tragic tale of true-life fighter Primo Carnera, The Harder They Fall details the corruption behind the scenes of professional boxing bouts. Steiger is a fight manager named Nick Benko who enlists newspaperman Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart in his final screen appearance) to drum up publicity for a fixed prizefight. While the boxing scenes were often brutally realistic, the most powerful dramatic moments took place between Steiger and Bogart on the sidelines.

As mob boss Al Capone (1959), Steiger got to play another man you loved to hate. He vividly depicted the criminal from his swaggering early days to his pathetic demise from syphilis. In Doctor Zhivago (1965), Steiger was the only American in the international cast, playing the hateful and perverse Komarovsky. During the production of Dr. Zhivago, Steiger often found himself at odds with director David Lean. Schooled in the British tradition, Lean valued the integrity of the script and demanded that actors remain faithful to the script. Steiger, on the other hand, relied on improvisation and spontaneity. When kissing the lovely Lara (played by Julie Christie), Steiger jammed his tongue into Christie's mouth to produce the desired reaction - disgust. It worked! While it might not have been Lean's approach, it brought a grittier edge to the prestige production and made Komarovsky is a detestable but truly memorable figure.

Steiger dared audiences to dislike him. As the smalltown southern Sheriff Gillespie in In The Heat of the Night (1967), Steiger embodied all the prejudices and suspicions of a racist. When a black northern lawyer, played by Sidney Poitier, arrives on the crime scene, Gillespie is forced to recognize his fellow man as an equal despite skin color. Here, Steiger's character started as a bigot and developed into a better man. He finally claimed a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Sheriff Gillespie.

Steiger was an actor's actor. A chameleon who didn't think twice about diving into challenging roles that others would shy away from. In the Private Screenings interview he did with host Robert Osborne he admitted that Paul Muni was one of his idols because of his total immersion into his roles. Steiger said, "I believe actors are supposed to create different human beings." And Steiger showed us a rich and diverse cross section of them.

by Jeremy Geltzer & Jeff Stafford

Tcm Remembers - Rod Steiger

TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger

ROD STEIGER, 1925 - 2002 From the docks of New York to the rural back roads of Mississippi to the war torn Russian steppes, Rod Steiger reveled in creating some of the most overpowering and difficult men on the screen. He could be a total scoundrel, embodying Machiavelli's idiom that "it's better to be feared than loved" in the movies. But as an actor he refused to be typecast and his wide range included characters who were secretly tormented (The Pawnbroker, 1965) or loners (Run of the Arrow, 1965) or eccentrics (The Loved One, 1965). Along with Marlon Brando, Steiger helped bring the 'Method School' from the Group Theater and Actors Studio in New York to the screens of Hollywood. The Method technique, taught by Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, insisted on complete immersion into the character's psyche and resulted in intense, dramatic performances and performers. Steiger made his first significant screen appearance as Brando's older brother in On the Waterfront (1954). Their climatic scene together in a taxicab is one of the great moments in American cinema. It was a short leap from playing a crooked lawyer in On the Waterfront to playing the shady boxing promoter in The Harder They Fall (1956). Based on the tragic tale of true-life fighter Primo Carnera, The Harder They Fall details the corruption behind the scenes of professional boxing bouts. Steiger is a fight manager named Nick Benko who enlists newspaperman Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart in his final screen appearance) to drum up publicity for a fixed prizefight. While the boxing scenes were often brutally realistic, the most powerful dramatic moments took place between Steiger and Bogart on the sidelines. As mob boss Al Capone (1959), Steiger got to play another man you loved to hate. He vividly depicted the criminal from his swaggering early days to his pathetic demise from syphilis. In Doctor Zhivago (1965), Steiger was the only American in the international cast, playing the hateful and perverse Komarovsky. During the production of Dr. Zhivago, Steiger often found himself at odds with director David Lean. Schooled in the British tradition, Lean valued the integrity of the script and demanded that actors remain faithful to the script. Steiger, on the other hand, relied on improvisation and spontaneity. When kissing the lovely Lara (played by Julie Christie), Steiger jammed his tongue into Christie's mouth to produce the desired reaction - disgust. It worked! While it might not have been Lean's approach, it brought a grittier edge to the prestige production and made Komarovsky is a detestable but truly memorable figure. Steiger dared audiences to dislike him. As the smalltown southern Sheriff Gillespie in In The Heat of the Night (1967), Steiger embodied all the prejudices and suspicions of a racist. When a black northern lawyer, played by Sidney Poitier, arrives on the crime scene, Gillespie is forced to recognize his fellow man as an equal despite skin color. Here, Steiger's character started as a bigot and developed into a better man. He finally claimed a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Sheriff Gillespie. Steiger was an actor's actor. A chameleon who didn't think twice about diving into challenging roles that others would shy away from. In the Private Screenings interview he did with host Robert Osborne he admitted that Paul Muni was one of his idols because of his total immersion into his roles. Steiger said, "I believe actors are supposed to create different human beings." And Steiger showed us a rich and diverse cross section of them. by Jeremy Geltzer & Jeff Stafford

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Expanded Release in United States March 21, 2003

Limited Release in United States February 28, 2003

Released in United States on Video August 26, 2003

Released in United States Winter February 28, 2003

Limited Release in United States February 28, 2003

Released in United States Winter February 28, 2003

Expanded Release in United States March 21, 2003

Released in United States on Video August 26, 2003