It could have been so much better.That's my seven-word summary of The Baltimore Bullet, a 1980 billiards movie, directed by Robert Ellis Miller, that blatantly cribs from The Hustler, without providing any of that film's richness and depth.
James Coburn is a pool hustler, and Bruce Boxleitner his protégée, in this enjoyable film. Coburn's living on the edge character, is not unlike his portrayal of "Speed" in "Hard Times".
Surely, it's the movie with higher number of pool stars I've ever seen, but Shariff and Boxleitner, seems like rookies playing pool, stance, position, aiming are simply pathetic. Coburn a little bit better.
This is James Coburn at his finest, years before anyone realized what a terrific actor he can be. He also has a classic line: "I taught him everything he knows, but I didn't teach him everything I know.
Baltimore Bullet is the best movie about pool hustlers ever produced. James Coburn is fantastic in a role that should have been nominated for an Oscar.
This is required viewing for any James Coburn fan.Easily one of his best performances and perhaps one of the best "buddy" films I've ever seen.
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