All pool movies make me cringe.
I just don’t and never will respect serious gamblers. Sorry.
Real life doesn't translate well to film. Car movies have people shifting gears 8000 times. Any "realistic" pool movie would be insanely boring to the average spectator. Watching some guy get run over with no trick shots. Or two gamblers woofing at eachother with no intention to play? Who the f. is going to watch that? People don't really watch pool and it's tough to make it engaging for a wider audience. Newer pool movies tend to be focused too much on the game and not enough on the stakes and the characters. Like a newer Star Wars movie compared to the old. All light saber gymnastics and no stakes and build-up. The stakes are usually comically high and unbelievable, not built up properly.
I think you could make a very good drama of pool players lives, but then pool wouldn't exactly be the focus. It would have to be character driven. The main character in newer pool movies is usually someone who is "above" the life, too good for it and aching to get out. He wants to be a tournament player or pool room owner or whatever. Often there isn't really enough character growth. The Hustler is a good example of how to make a pool movie character. By the end of the movie he has grown and developed, through pain and experience. I still think it's overly preachy, which is also a fault with such movies, but at least something is happening. Whereas characters in newer pool movies are allready at the end point. They haven't really learned anything, usually, just waiting for their ticket out. Either have them stay "in" or make them earn their way out.
Pool hall junkies was about the wrong character. Christopher Walkens character actually could have been very interesting. A business man gambling pool with dangerous people. There could be a movie about his downfall and maybe recovery. He's out of his element, takes the whole thing too nonchalantly, gets hard consequences. There could be a reveal of why he does it etc. A few lessons along the way. Wouldn't have to be preachy at all. Christopher Walken would have nailed it.