Stickmen 2001

Holden Kirk Torrance, Jack Robbie Magasiva, and Thomas Paolo Rotondo are three friends who drift toward an underground pool circuit run by the Greek crime lord Daddy Enrico Mammarella. What begins as a casual bet among barroom acquaintances quickly grows into a high-stakes contest where teams pay $500 to enter and the grand prize is a tax-free $20,000. The trio, eager for a break and buoyed by a sense of camaraderie, enters under the team name “Stickmen,” chasing a dream that tests their loyalty, nerve, and luck.

In a nearby cafe, Sara Anne Nordhaus—a waitress who takes a shine to Thomas—enters the picture, introducing a complicating layer to their scheme. Thomas, who already has a girlfriend, Marie Sara Denby, finds himself drawn into a web of flirtation and ambition as he navigates relationships on both sides of the pool table. The group learns that their first match will be against two men, Jimmy and Eric, at the Princess Bar, setting the stage for a series of tense games that ripple through their personal lives.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Dave [John Leigh] struggles to pay rent to Daddy, the bar’s enigmatic landlord. Holden pays a visit and discovers that the bounced check is only the latest blow in a string of pressure—he responds with a brutal reminder that failure isn’t a choice. Dave’s world tightens as he bears the cost of keeping the Stickmen in the game, the threat of violence always looming in the shadows.

The Stickmen win their first tournament matchup at the Princess Bar and return to Dave’s bar to celebrate. Sara [Anne Nordhaus] enters the room, and Thomas’s growing attraction to her becomes harder to ignore. Karen [Simone Kessell], Jack’s rival in conversation and romance, stops by, sparking a quiet tension between the two couples. That night, as Thomas and Sara share a drink and a hesitant kiss, Holden confirms that Daddy wants to meet with them the next day, signaling that the real test of their resolve is just ahead.

The next morning, the Stickmen arrive at Daddy’s barber shop in a narrow alley. Thomas does not appear, and it’s revealed that he slept with Sara—an event that complicates the loyalties within the group. Daddy, surrounded by a cadre of Greek bodyguards and his own fearsome demeanor, explains that life without passion isn’t worth much to him, and his passion is shaping the players who will fuel his underground tournament. The tension rises as the team steels themselves for the next round.

Their next opponents are the notorious Men in Black, feared chess pieces in Daddy’s game. The priests who fill that role bring a lighthearted, good-natured humor to the table, and the Stickmen manage to dispatch them with surprising ease. Thomas grows closer to Sara, and the two begin to form a stronger bond, even as Holden reminds Jack that Daddy wants another engagement in the near future.

The stakes rise again when a new opponent—Caller [Neville Stevenson]—is introduced. Wayne [Scott Wills], the most volatile member of the trio, promises to step up, though his path is clouded by personal turmoil. A rough patch—Wayne’s late-night indiscretions and a drunken resolve—threatens to derail their chances. Still, motivated by friendship and a stubborn belief in their own luck, Wayne faces Caller in a dramatic, high-risk duel. Wayne’s performance is a blur of skill and chaos, and in the final moments Caller is forced to concede a shocking loss as Wayne claims the table. A strict New Zealand pub rule adds a final sting: a player who loses a game without sinking any balls must drop his trousers, a rule Daddy uses to remind everyone that no advantage goes unpunished. The fight that follows leaves Jack cut and the Stickmen again short-handed.

Facing the prospect of defeat, the team contemplates quitting. Dave reminds them of what’s at stake beyond pride—the bar’s future—and persuades them to push forward. He even outfits them with matching jackets, a symbol of their unity and a last, meaningful nudge toward victory.

In the semifinals, the Stickmen square off against Bastinados, a pairing that includes Sara Anne Nordhaus and Karen Simone Kessell. A showdown of precision and nerve unfolds as Sara and Karen display remarkable teamwork; yet Sara makes a calculated decision to let the 8-ball sink on the wrong shot, throwing the match in a way that preserves some sense of moral ambiguity while keeping the dream alive. On the roof during the break, Sara confides to Thomas that she threw the game because she truly cares about him, setting up a complicated emotional crossroads for their relationship. Meanwhile, Daddy’s grip tightens as he locks Thomas and Sara on the roof to prevent any last-minute insurrection.

As the final approaches, Wayne takes the stage for the decisive break in the championship against the Bankers. He falters and passes out on the table, forcing Jack to step in as the last remaining member capable of pulling off a comeback. In a tense reversal, Holden Kirk Torrance arrives to rescue Thomas Paolo Rotondo and Sara Anne Nordhaus, and Thomas seizes the moment to clinch the win for the Stickmen. The crowd erupts, Hugh Matthew Chamberlain collapses in anger, and Daddy Enrico Mammarella concedes that the time for payments has arrived, inviting the trio to visit his barber shop to collect what’s owed.

Weeks later, the bar is transformed into a thriving venue, a testament to hard work and a shared dream. The Stickmen—together with the people who stood by them, from Sara Anne Nordhaus to Dave John Leigh—enjoy a quiet, celebratory game of pool in their own successful space. The movie closes on the image of friendship, risk, and redemption found at the pool table, where the rhythm of the game mirrors the rhythm of their lives: a balance of luck, loyalty, and the relentless pursuit of a better future.