The Ultimate, Definitive Pool Movie List

Pool table close up
Getty Images/Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Staff.

Here is a good pool movie list to help you take a "break" from table play. This list covers pool, ​three-cushion billiards and snooker movies. There are dozens of movies featuring this table game, but the list includes only films that feature scenes loaded with both great pool play and storytelling drama.

01
of 06

Kiss Shot

Pool table close up
Getty Images/Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Staff.

"Kiss Shot" is a 1989 TV movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, Dennis Franz, and Dorian Harewood, who developed a great draw stroke for the film. In the film, a mother (Goldberg) loses her job and the ability to pay back her creditors. "She recalls her billiard skills and begins to play for money," says IMDb. "Things get worse when she falls in love with an opponent." The film may sound a bit silly, but it's a fun, family-oriented movie featuring some great billiards.

02
of 06

The Baltimore Bullet

In "The Baltimore Bullet" (1980) starred James Coburn, Omar Sharif and Bruce Boxleitner, "Coburn is 'The Baltimore Bullet,' a legendary pool player who's seen better days," notes Rotten Tomatoes. Coburn becomes Boxleitner's mentor during the film, teaching him practically everything he knows. Eventually, Coburn faces The Deacon (Sharif) in a winner-take-all match. It's a very entertaining buddy road movie that happens to have a theme involving pool.

03
of 06

The Baron and the Kid

The Baron and the Kid," a 1984 TV movie, sarred—of all people —Johnny Cash. Of course, Cash plays the Baron, "a legendary pool shark," notes Rotten Tomatoes, adding: "The 'Cajun Kid,' played by Greg Webb, is the Baron's long-lost son. Once they're reunited, the Baron and the Kid embark upon numerous adventures, each exploits bringing them closer." The movie is actually based on Cash's hit song "The Baron."

04
of 06

Goldfinger

"Goldfinger" set the gold standard for James Bond films, but the movie also features a super cool villain's table. And having such an astonishing pool table in the film just makes it an added boon for both Bond and billiards fans. Everything in Goldfinger drips with the opulence—including the pool table, pictured in the background in Goldfinger's headquarters during a key scene in the film.

05
of 06

The Color of Money

"The Color of Money" (1986) with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise features nine-ball pool. In the film, "Fast Eddie Felson (Newman) teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé (Cruise) the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback," according to IMDb. Iconic filmmaker Martin Scorsese directed the movie. Newman won an Academy Award for his performance, reprising the role he made famous a quarter century before in "The Hustler." 

06
of 06

The Hustler

"The Hustler" (1961), starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, is considered by many film buffs and critics to be the best pool movie of all time. "Newman created a classic antihero, charismatic but fundamentally flawed, and nobody's role model," says Rotten Tomatoes, describing Fast Eddie Felson. "As good as anyone who ever picked up a cue, Eddie has an Achilles' heel: arrogance. It's not enough for him to win: he must force his opponent to acknowledge his superiority." It's unlikely any pool movie will top "The Hustler," which to this day still conjures up the iconic image of Paul Newman—aka Fast Eddie Felson—crouching for a shot as he leans over the pool table.