Film Watchin Fool
Why You Might Like It: This is a very good hostage/heist film that will entertain you from start to finish. The pace of the movie is great and it has plenty of action to keep you entertained. There are many notable actors in the movie and everyone involved does a solid job. I also thought the directing was well done and the movie also has a bunch going on to keep you guessing. Overall, a fun watch.Why You Might Not Like It: One of the knocks might be that this film just has too much going on for an hour and a half movie. There are flashbacks, intertwined story lines, twists, etc. that some viewers could find confusing and hard to keep up with. It does seem like an extra 30 minutes or so might have made the movie considerably better.Acting/Casting: 6.5* Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 6.5*Plot/Characters: 6* Entertainment Value: 6.5* Total - 6.5+6.5+6+6.5 = 24.5/4 = 6.375* - Worth a Rental
davideo-2
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningOfficer Will (Forest Whitaker) wonders in to an all night diner, and soon becomes aware that all is not as it seems- that, in fact, a robbery being staged by Derrick (Michael Chiklis) and his cronies is in progress. In to the equation comes Nick Davenport (Sean Faris), a recently released con trying to go straight, who ends up being used as a go between/patsy for the criminals. But is everyone who they seem? Is everything as it seems?With an all star cast of hardly A list, but still quality actors, Pawn has it's sights set higher than it's made for DVD limitations, aiming for a high concept approach to a traditional hold up drama. Pretty early in, it soon becomes clear it's going to be yet another of these 'reverse plotting' thrillers that was edgy and experimental when it first started but are getting a bit tiresome now, with each one trying to be cleverer than the last one, making you yearn for a good old, simple dramatic thriller like they made in the old days. As it gets going, you start to write it off as a boring latest addition to this fad, but thankfully if you stick with it the plot isn't as needlessly complicated as it could have been and manages to be intelligent without being over indulgent.Pawn is the latest in what is quite a popular trend at the moment. It's a style that is becoming a bit weary and tiresome, and it hardly explores the concept in any really new or challenging way. But it does so in an efficient, competent and satisfying one, and is intelligently short so it doesn't stretch your patience any more than it does a little at the beginning. ***
Claudio Carvalho
Nick Davenport (Sean Faris) is released from prison for robbing a car and his wife Amanda (Nikki Reed) waits for Nick to bring him home. She tells that she is pregnant and leaves him at the Be Brite diner since Nick has scheduled an encounter with his brother Patrick Davenport (Jordan Belfi). When the police officer Will (Forest Whitaker) comes to the dinner, he notes that something is wrong and he goes to the toilet. He contacts Lieutenant Barnes (Marton Csokas) and tells that a heist is taking place before the scheduled hour. Then he sees Nick hidden in the room and he tells that he has called the police, and Will gives his name to Barnes. Out of the blue, Will is shot in the head and Nick is brought to the diner where there is a hostage situation. The British criminal Derrick (Michael Chiklis) and the gangsters Billy (Max Beesley) and Aaron (Jonathan Bennett) have stolen clients and a safe and Derrick has taken an HD from the safe. When the negotiator Jeff Porter (Common) arrives, Lieutenant Barnes tells him that Nick is responsible for the heist. Nick becomes a pawn in a deadly game where the award is an HD. What is the secret of the wanted HD?"Pawn" is a low-budget thriller better than I expected, with a non- chronological screenplay with many twists. Unfortunately, the rushed conclusion with happy-ending does not fit well to the story and I believe that it is lack of budget associated to commercial interests. My vote is six.Title (Brail): "Crimes Cruzados" ("Crossed Crimes")
doug_park2001
Generally good acting brings an immediate realism to a low budget film that's otherwise unrealistic in certain ways. Despite a few draggy spots, PAWN is tense and engrossing, with some clever twists. It can be difficult to place who's what in a movie that's this short yet has this big a cast, but that's all part of the fun. If viewed carefully, PAWN will make pretty good sense in the end.Particularly good performances by Sean Faris and the three (Michael Chiklis, Max Beesley, and Cameron Denny) who play the robbers.Definitely worth seeing if you like crime,suspense,and that sort of thing.
AD
