Shooting Gallery Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
There's no such thing as luck to a hustler.
A street-smart pool player falls in with a pack of hustlers. As he rises in the underground circuit, he lands in the middle of a match between his boss and a crooked cop.
| Freddie Prinze Jr. | Jericho Hudson |
| Ving Rhames | Cue Ball Carl |
| Roselyn Sanchez | Jezebel Black |
| Daniel Newman | Easy |
| Callum Keith Rennie | Michael Mortensen |
| Devon Sawa | Paul the Pawn |
| Jon Eyez | Mad Boy |
| Angus Macfadyen | Tenderloin Tony |
| Robert Pralgo | Jericho's Brother |
| Mark Adam | Cop |
| John J. Anderson | Bar colleague |
| John Jordan Anderson | Boy on the street |
| George Anton | Witness |
| Michael Arata | Lawyer |
| Dan Bell | Nickles |
| Keoni Waxman |
5.10 out of 10 (560 votes)
Visitor Reviews
its about the photography
posted on 13 May 2009the movie plot is quite common (I mean you see many such plots) - some con artist trying to con others in a pool gallery and some intricat plot which invloves other pool players, hustlers and strong men - of coarse few cops. This is all very common but what is uncommon is the quality of photography and back ground music. Cinematography is superlative - all frames are complete - lighting is fabulous - can compare it to Sincity. Now a days in the world of computer generated movies it is difficult to find such photography. You will notice that the editing is also great and matches with the phography - some the trick shots in the pool table are great. Good entertaining movie. You can rent it.
To be honest, hardly worth commenting upon...
posted on 30 Apr 2009What can I say? Ving Rhames takes a paycheck, Freddie Prinze Jr. demonstrates the limitations of his acting abilities, and the script tries to simulate the coolness of the "insider" but serves mostly as the embodiment of its own title, providing easy targets for ridicule. I was glad I got this one at the library. It's not badly produced, granted, and some of the green felt action is well-shot, but this dog ain't no hustler, if you catch my drift. Small wonder this went direct to video. One thing is certain: its shelf life will depend strictly upon the durability of Ving Rhames's career. I surely hope his career never depends on this film.
Unrealistic, unmotivated, and uninteresting
posted on 30 Mar 2009I don't know where these morons developed their grim view of pool and pool players, but it wasn't in a poolroom. First off, pool hustlers are charming (the better to relieve you of your money), unlike the venemous, scenery-chewing characters in this flick. (As an aside, today's tournament players are as likely to pull you aside and ask about the state of your salvation as to hustle you.) The only nod to realism is a string of trick shots--but try setting your drink on the rail in a real poolroom and the manager will run over with a quick dose of realism. As for the story, forget it. Lack of character development leaves little room for interest anyhow.
worse than others have posted
posted on 10 Jan 2009Beware of movies where the same person is credited as the writer, producer, and director. It's an omen that should never be ignored. The general consensus is that this movie is terrible, and I have to agree. Unless this person inherited a boatload of money, hoe could he have convinced anyone to provide financing for it? I bought the DVD in Shanghai for $1US, and it's not worth that. At least there are captions...in both Spanish and in Chinese - nice! Check out an incredible continuity problem around the 50 minute mark. Freddy Jr is in bed, talking with Jez. Freddy has a huge tattoo on his right arm...next scene, it's missing...no, there it is again...wait, it's gone...it's back, again...Hilarious! If you need to vacuum the floors, or iron some shirts, this is the perfect DVD to have playing in the background to keep you company.
Stupid, horrible, unsatisfying
posted on 16 Mar 2008Stupid - there was a line about 4/5 of the way through the movie where the girl says something like "Let's get away from here" and I just had to respond "That's the first sensible thing anyone has said in this movie". The idea that the characters would live in such a world just didn't make sense. For the main character a normal day seemed to include having a couple of guns shoved in his face, getting badly beaten up and generally getting threatened. Just so he could earn a little money playing pool? Well, there's more to it but that's only near the end. But otherwise this seemed the general lifestyle associated with the pool players. It was just over the top to the point of being silly.Horrible - what a bunch of unpleasant characters. As the movie developed I came to realise there wasn't one single character I cared about, so I lost interest. I didn't really care what happened.Unsatisfying - I persevered in case there was a twist. There was something revealed, if not quite a twist as such, and it was feasible but by that time I didn't care, it was all too stupid and horrible and my eyes had long since glazed over. And it just didn't seem enough to deliver much impact because of a sense of contrivance. It must be very hard to pull off a complex and fragile plan involving various highly volatile and unpredictable individuals without their knowing they are part of a hustle when you can never be quite sure from day to day whether you are going to make it through to sunset. Yet the main character pulled it off. Yes, in the end, somehow it all came together and in a frenzied shoot-out all the right people got shot and the hero got away the girl. Oh.The movie had promise. Some very nice textured visuals in the cinematography, a capable cast, a bold start which presented lots of intriguing questions. But it all fizzled. Not really worthy bothering with.
would have been better without Mr. cardboard cutout Prinze
posted on 27 Feb 2008it had potential.. the story had legs.. Ving is always good.. everyone loves him in BABY BOY.. what makes this movie almost like going to the dentist for a root canal is Freddie.. he is so wooden that every time Ving light up I'm worried that he will burst into flames. Apart from the lead actor I dug the film.. which is weird cause he is in it a lot.. everyone loves movies about hustles and money and shady people... but it is hard to care when you wish they would just cap the lead cause his acting is giving you a headache. This is where Hollywood casts a person because of what they are worth not for what they can do and therefore they end up with a tame lame straight to video film instead of a bad mofo of a movie.. Hollywood please commit to what you are doing.. if you are gonna make a bad guy movie cast people that we believe can be bad guys... what's next? Justin Timberlake as a thug?? Oh no, it is ..isn't it??
"PoolHall Junkies This Is Not"
posted on 02 Jan 2008A pool hustler becomes a member of a pack of hustlers. He rises to the top, but soon finds himself the monkey in the middle of a match between his boss and a crooked cop. Freddie Prinze Jr. seems to have a string of bad films lately, with such titles like Scooby Doo, Summer Catch and Scooby Doo 2. But one only has to look at his film credits to see that he hasn't been in a really good movie at all. His career ranges from teen slasher flicks to a poor excuse for a video game adaption. It seems with Shooting Gallery Freddie is trying to show that he's serious now, and that he's left his Scooby Doo image behind. Well, Freddie, I got a message for ya, keep dreaming'When I first came across Shooting Gallery, Poolhall Junkies rip-off is what came to my mind, but for the sake of an argument, I gave it a chance. After watching it, I still came to the conclusion that it's a poolhall junkies ripoff and a poorly executed one too. The main character here tries to act as if he's cool and slick, but with Freddi Prinze Jr. as your main catch, he's comes off and nothing more then a pretty face who thinks he can shoot some pool. In the final stages of the film, I wanted to cut my ears off I couldn't stand his "broken nose" accent. Ving Rhames makes an appearance. All he does is walk around and chew on alligator feet. He actually does nothing in the film, until the climax when he shoots some pool and a gun. In the film "Rounders" Norton has an ace tattooed on his arm, he says that he has an ace up his sleeve, it worked. In "Shooting Gallery" they get 8 balls tattooed on their arm, with Rhames on his bald head. It shows that their part of a gang...but it doesn't work. Rhames outfit is comical, you should see it to believe it. The plot is poorly written, and one of those, he was hustling everyone from the start type gigs, completely clichéd. The pool shooting is quite good, not better then what is showcased in "Poolhall Junkies" but good nonetheless. Freddie actually shoots some pool here, nice to see that, but it's obvious that the trick shots are done by someone else. I liked the whole switching of the shooting sides that Freddie does near the end though, I thought that was a neat addition. "Poolhall Junkies" has Walken and "Shooting Gallery" has Macfadyen. Macfadyen is definitely the highlight here as the drunk, druggie, poolhall hustler. He brings some enthusiasm to an otherwise dead cast. It was nice to see some life pumped into this dead film, but it doesn't last long.The poolhall lingo consists of what the director has heard and made up. Which is obvious when you listen to other lines such as "If I'm Lyin...I'm Dyin." Some characters names, if you'd like to hear are Paulie the Pawn and Cue Ball Carl. What's with the random words appearing on the screen? Poolhall lingo? Purpose to the script? It was distracting and adds nothing to the experience except confusion and dread.Skip "Shooting Gallery" unless you want a headache from poor acting and a clichéd plot. "Poolhall Junkies" this is not. Unless you're a massive fan of pool, check out something else.
Shooting Gallery
posted on 20 Dec 2007I thought the movie had poor acting and a terrible plot. What should I have expected with Freddie Prinze Jr. though. I wouldn't recomend this video if you are a pool junkie like I am. I'm still waiting for the next great movie to take over where the "Color of Money" left off. I think it's about time for one.
"If I'm Lyin...I'm Dyin."
posted on 13 Oct 2007After watching this I came to the conclusion that I was watching a rip-off "Poolhall Junkies" and a poorly executed one too. Freddi Prinze Jr. as your main character comes off and nothing more then a pretty face who thinks he can shoot some pool. In the final stages of the film, I wanted to cut my ears off because I couldn't stand his "broken nose" accent.
Ving Rhames was waaay below par in this film; all he does is walk around and chew on alligator feet which was quite nasty to me. He actually does nothing in the film, until the climax when he shoots some pool and a gun. Roselyn Sanchez played her role quite well, albeit her history in the story does not need to be actually in there, and finally Callum Keith Rennie does a good performance, but his character was written in what seems to be a hurried way. The whole crew was (if you can imagine the analogy) put into a blender, served up with whipped cream and a cherry on top, when you are expecting something bitter. It didn't blend at all well, the acting between the people.
The visuals within the film are great. The director did a great job for showing such a different forray of shots; the sleazy underworld, the wonderful city shots and the added bonus of Pool-Hall terms being printed and written across angled camera-shots - I liked. Freddie actually shoots some pool here, nice to see that, but it's obvious that the trick shots are done by someone else. I liked the whole switching of the shooting sides that Freddie does near the end though; I thought that was a nice addition.
This film, in it's own right, is a film that went straight-to-DVD/video and quite rightly so. No way would it have performed in the cinemas with the rest of the blockbusters of 2005. I can say that `Shooting Gallery' is one of those films that people rent when they have run out of films to watch.
Awful
posted on 09 Sep 2007A terrible film on every level. The story is unbelievable as well as unrealistic. The characters are not only hard to believe, but are not sympathetic so you really don't care. There is so much slang inserted into the dialogue that's it almost incomprehensible -- they actually have a special feature on poolhall slang which I guess we're supposed to watch first. Seeing a few well done pool shots well executed is the only positive thing I can say about this mess, but that it's not enough to warrant even a rental, as you can see that on ESPN. You're better off watching "The Hustler" and "Color of Money" for a 3rd, 4th or 5th time than watching this travesty even once.
Waste of film (?) and talent
posted on 27 Aug 2007The film portrays violence, low-lifes, and foul mouths that the writers, actors, directors, producers, etc have never once in their lives experienced. It is not entertaining! It lacks both a moral and morals. It is not a film reflecting life. It has no redeeming qualities. It is nothing more than a poorly made film that gives those involved a chance to show gory scenes, unrealistic dialogue, a glimpse of a nude woman in a lewd act (lewd when shown in public) and does very little to connect to the audience. I always love it when a bunch of really bad dudes fire 1000's of rounds of ammo to hit someone a couple of times. Film makers should be required to take a course in the actual use and effect of weapons. I rented the film because it has Ving Rhames name on it. I will not rent another that he is featured in. The next thing you know he will be playing some bald white guy sucking on a lollipop.
3.5 stars
posted on 07 Jun 2007This movie had potential although in some ways it is a rip off of "The Hustler" with Paul Newman and thats one of the reasons this movie suffered because Freddie Prince JR sure is not Paul Newman If you have seen The Hustler than maybe you can give this movie a shot ,, I dont know what the other reviewer was talking about with the slang it is understandable I didnt really notice any slang in the movie .. The bright spots of the movie are Ving Rhames, your always going to get a good performance from , he played his part well and Roselyn Sanchez, I have not seen her in any movie previous to this one , Not only is she beatiful but she can actually act this is usually uncommon with beatiful actresses. Really those where the only two reasons I bought this movie cause I am a Ving Rhames fan and I wanted to see Roselyn Sanchez. Overall for about 3 bucks I would say it is possibly worth owning but for the price of renting it you might as well just buy it
A good film about pool
posted on 19 May 2007Waxman's straight-to-video film about a smart street pool player who gets involved with the wrong hustlers. It has a good enough screenplay, interesting direction and overall a great atmosphere. The actors do well enough, especially Rhames and Daniel Newman, though Prinze Jr.'s tone and speaking was totally wack, his acting wasn't completely horrible as he managed to get some of the emotional scenes down without appearing completely lost in the film. Still, Prinze jr. was the weak part about this film, Roselyn Sanchez was decent in the female role, though films like this have been done, and done well, like 86's "The Color of Money" directed by martin Scorsese, but i actually didn't mind Waxman's film, it was entertaining, fresh and fun to watch.--- IMDb Rating: 5.4, my rating: 9/10
Visually very cool and well-done Hustler film.
posted on 12 Mar 2007I didn't know who KEONI WAXMAN was prior to this release, and judging by his resumé it seems like he usually gets put in the b-movie-category with lead-roles by Steven Segal, Dolph Lundgren, Stephen Baldwin and other b-movie-actors.This however, is NOT a b-movie! It's a visually stunning piece with a lot of unexpected twists, and the good thing about it is that the twists are actually welcome, as for in other movies twists can destroy a good movie this actually helps it a lot.I never saw Freddie Prinze Jr as more than a mere "pretty-boy" but he's actually quite good in this one, his character is a little more street than usual and it's a good look for FP Jr.The only reason I bought it was because I'm a fan of VING RHAMES but I never expected it to be this good.Roselyn Sanchez is very good in WITHOUT A TRACE but here she's only okay at best, her character is a little confusing but that might be intentional.Yes it has some similarities to POOLHALL JUNKIES (which I liked as well) and the dialog might not always be as good but this has a lot more action in it, so I'm not sure which of the 2 I like more.There's a lot of music in it, and if you don't like the music you might get a little annoyed but I quite like it so it's all good.It might not be a masterpiece, but if you like movies about cons and hustlers that are visually good-looking and don't mind if the most part takes place in a Shooting-gallery then I definitely recommend this movie.Rating: a strong 6 out of 10.
Enjoyable
posted on 30 Jan 2007Think revenge in a pool hall. Hustlers get hustled and a deadly game plays out when a crooked cop and a pool hustler cross paths. I don't want to give away too much of the plot.
When's the last time we saw Freddie Prinze Jr? This movie is worth the price of seeing Ving Rhames suck on chicken feet. By the end of the movie you're confused as to just who is going to come out on top. It's cheap pool movie entertainment and worth a rental.
It's about hustling, indeed
posted on 19 Jan 2007According to the movie slang, a "slide" is a guy so dumb he even has no idea he's being framed on. I wish I know someone that would knowingly allow to be framed, so the term is kind of a lame one to me. Anyway, when you finish watching this movie-crap you feel that someone got framed indeed. You feel like you are the "slide" here. Specially if you paid for the flick. I found it miscast, poorly written and bad directed. But I have to agree with those who still find something enjoyable on it. If you search hard enough you can always find useful things in a garbage dump, as long as you care to sift it out. So maybe I have missed the hidden gems of this one. It's a blessing it went straight-to-video. I mean for Keoni Waxman. It should have gone straight-to-dumpster.
- 1
- 2
A ride...at the most
posted on 07 Aug 2009First of all, Freddie Prinze, Jr? That's odd. Until today I hadn't seen him in a movie that I'd enjoyed completely. Scratch that. I still haven't.
The deeper the plot got, the more confused I became. I'm not a simplton, either. I honestly don't know why half the people that died, died.
It's also harder to give a movie more than three stars on a review when a key line in the movie is, "If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'." Why not just make it, "What's up doc?" or even "That's what she said." Those are sadly more amusing.
The random sex scene was also annoying. "I just got the fool beat out of me ... again. Wanna mess around?" It didn't flow. The only thing more enjoyable than counting the times Jericho (Prinze) got the fool beat out of him were the very very few twists in the plot.
Don't buy this movie. Rent it from Blockbuster if you have a movie pass and you've already seen what else is out there.