(rated R, 95 mins.)
Johnny (Mars Callahan) is to pool what Tom Cruise was to “The Color Of Money” with Paul Newman. Except this time, Chazz Palminteri plays the mentor and trainer. Johnny’s tired of the illegal game and ready to make a legitimate life with hot shot paralegal girlfriend (Alison Eastwood), but selling trailer homes is not his idea of a get-rich scheme. With adrenaline running and a younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) running even faster from his latest gambling con, Johnny has no option but to continue doing what he does best against nemesis pool shark Ricky Schroeder. But the problem is what he does best is accompanied by an annoying soundtrack that drowns the actors’ ability to perform. The music deters us from their bad pool skills. Otherwise it wouldn’t be half-bad in “The Hustler” tradition. Enter Christopher Walken who steals and saves the plot with his legendary weirdo role qualities. Walken is the pro, the King and he is this movie. Callahan writes, directs and stars. He’s not an unknown, just little known with a history of “That Thing You Do” for Tom Hanks and “Kalifornia” with Brad Pitt. This one will at least bring him to the forefront, even if he’s only racking up balls.