‘The Pawnbroker’
Sidney Lumet’s 1965 film from the Edward Lewis Wallant novel--about a Jewish pawnbroker (Rod Steiger, right, in a towering portrayal) in Harlem who’s sealed himself off from life to protect himself from his nightmarish death-camp memories--has a little too much in the way of imitation-Resnais flashback pyrotechnics. But when the film stays simple, and concentrates on the actors--as in Juano Hernandez’s withering bit as the old man who wants to talk--it’s almost great (Bravo Friday at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m.).
Other four-star films airing this week:
Anatomy of a Murder / TMC, Tuesday, 9:10 a.m.
The Verdict / TNT, Wednesday, 5 p.m.
The Day the Earth Stood Still / TMC, Thursday, 11:45 a.m.
The Killers (1946) AMC, Thursday, 9 p.m.
Touch of Evil / AMC, Friday, 1 a.m.
Body and Soul / AMC, Friday, 9:30 p.m.
Only good movies
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