The Pawnbroker

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Ryan O A quite portrait of a man who's quietly haunted by life after the concentration camps of Germany, now living a seemingly docile family life In New Jersey. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review Alec B The legacy of the Holocaust is deeply felt here. Steiger is reined in by Lumet, which produces a pretty great performance. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Many films have depicted the atrocities of The Holocaust in many diversely detailed forms since The Pawnbroker's release but few have captured life for the victims who survived as well as this film did, and less than twenty years removed in this case. Rod Steiger is exceptional in his role as the titular character in a film that tackles the effects of trauma and PTSD, likely before the term was even in use. As is the case for many PTSD sufferers, everyday items to most people can often trigger horrifying reveries, examples of which are hauntingly brought to the screen here by Steiger as a way to fill in the pawnbroker's motivations, while acting as a plot device in which the flashbacks reveal information to the audience little by little. Lumet loves his gritty and grimy city streets and appears much more comfortable, even early in his career, setting his films amidst the detritus of the masses, adding a texture that in most cases give his films a uniquely authentic feel. NYT 1000: #281 Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review william k Absorbing character study of a Holocaust survivor is excellently directed with great b/w photography and New York City settings and a remarkable jazzy score by Quincy Jones, but it's the intensity of Rod Steiger's performance of a tortured man that fully holds one's attention. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Grim, unpleasant, but well done. Rod Steiger is excellent! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/21 Full Review dave s Sol Nazerman is a Holocaust survivor who wears his bitterness and anger like a shield in order to keep others, who he perceives as ‘scum and rejects', at a comfortable distance. Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker is an unrelentingly grim examination of a man who lives in the darkest depths of despair. Rod Steiger is nothing short of brilliant as Nazerman and his performance alone makes the film worth watching. Lumet's direction may not be to the taste of all, as the exterior shots (they appear to have been inspired the French New Wave stylings of Truffaut) don't seem to match up with the more traditionally structured interior shots. Additionally, the movie is filled with odd quick cuts and split-second flashbacks, which tend to be distracting. Despite these apparent faults, the film remains a powerful study of a man alone in the world. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Pawnbroker

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