The Pawnbroker

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The Pawnbroker

1965,

1h 56m,

Drama

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88%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Based on the novel by Edward Lewis Wallant, this drama focuses on former professor Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger), the survivor of a German concentration camp who now runs a pawn shop in East Harlem. Having witnessed his family's death at the hands of the Nazis, he is embittered toward humanity and pushes away anyone around him, including his young Puerto Rican employee, Jesus (Jaime Sanchez). As Nazerman contends with his internal conflicts, the harsh realities of the city affect his life as well.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Aug 13, 2021

4/5

The result is a kind of sensory madness and torture that telegraphs perfectly the interior state of our sympathetic protagonist's mind.

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William J. Nazzaro

Arizona Republic

Sep 2, 2020

[The Pawnbroker] is a brilliant cinema achievement. Directed with sharp eye by Sidney Lumet, this is a film that holds you by the throat for its full two-hour running time, and a film you will not long forget.

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Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

Mar 26, 2025

Steiger was nominated for an Oscar for his central performance in this impactful drama about a Jewish man in New York, haunted by his experience of the Holocaust.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

Feb 3, 2025

The Pawnbroker is a difficult film. A groundbreaking film. A controversial, important, and altogether wonderful film that has little reputation today.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Aug 28, 2024

3.5/4

...still manages to shock the system thanks to its stark, near-subliminal editing techniques.

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Pauline Kael

McCall's

Sep 20, 2023

Juano Hernandez, as the man who wants to talk, gives the single most moving performance I saw in 1965, and Rod Steiger’s power makes our questioning of much of the action seem like quibbling.

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Ron R

Apr 7, 2019

A powerful and sparse film about loneliness, bitterness, and isolation that meshes the Holocaust and its horrors with neon-streaked 1960s New York City.

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Harry R

Mar 23, 2019

in my mind 'the pawnbroker' is the beginning of a dark trilogy; the other two pieces being 'prince of the city' and 'serpico'. the three films concern themselves with the idea of money; what it represents and how its influence pulls those who seek after it into dehumanizing, destructive orbits. mr. steiger's performance is top-notch.

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Hagrid R

Mar 23, 2019

I usually enjoy historic movies but this one gave me headaches. The plot is very low IQ. I like intelligent movies.

Harry R

Mar 22, 2019

This movie is far from perfect how It gets such a high score is unbelievable. Itâ(TM)s weird and insulting in so many ways.

Leia M

Mar 22, 2019

The Pawnbroker is a disgusting representation of Hollywood that exploits black women in pornographic demeaning exploits to sell an even lower level of debasement of lies about our history. Pawnbrokers in real life sell essentially garbage. Realize the deeper meaning that Hollywood is selling you garbage and laughing all the way to the bank while destroying black people and our civilization. Hollywood broke a code of decency by releasing the Pawnbroker when they made this filth. It led to the further enslavement of Black America and it paved the road to the CIA funded film Superfly a few years later which then led to 974 people murdered in Chicago acting out the Hollywood pimp fantasy they learned through watching Hollywood's trash.

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Mar 21, 2019

Degeneracy for the sake of degeneracy!!

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Rod Steiger

Sol Nazerman

Geraldine Fitzgerald

Marilyn Birchfield

Brock Peters

Rodriguez

Jaime Sanchez

Jesus Ortiz

Thelma Oliver

Ortiz' Girl

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The Pawnbroker: Official Clip - Money Is the Whole Thing

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Synopsis

Based on the novel by Edward Lewis Wallant, this drama focuses on former professor Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger), the survivor of a German concentration camp who now runs a pawn shop in East Harlem. Having witnessed his family's death at the hands of the Nazis, he is embittered toward humanity and pushes away anyone around him, including his young Puerto Rican employee, Jesus (Jaime Sanchez). As Nazerman contends with his internal conflicts, the harsh realities of the city affect his life as well.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Producer: Roger H. Lewis, Philip Langner
Screenwriter: Morton S. Fine, David Friedkin
Distributor: Allied Artists Pictures
Production Co: Landau Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 20, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 9, 2016
Runtime: 1h 56m

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