PAWN – The Blu Review

PAWN is an overplotted, low-expectations hostage drama that manages to work up a fair share of suspense despite some ridiculous plot holes. It opens with cop Forest Whitaker entering a diner just before midnight and quickly realizing all the employees and customers are on edge. Turns out he’s walked into the middle of a hostage situation. An armed robber named Derrick (Michael Chiklis) and his two accomplices are waiting until midnight when the time-locked safe can be opened. I won’t go into much more of the plot but I’ll say no one’s hands are clean and the story has enough double-crosses, ulterior motives, and conspiracies to make your head spin. The chief problem with THE PAWN is its lack of originality; this is simply a story which is too familiar to be told in a straightforward manner…. and it’s not. Director David Armstrong and writer Jay Anthony White jump back and forth in time, leaving clues that are revisited, and showing the same scenes from different points of view. This is an obvious way to cover up the fact that they don’t have an original story to tell but it’s done in a clear, orderly way so on many level their trickery works. The ‘hostage drama’ subgenre is so overdone and one of my least favorites, but damn if PAWN isn’t an engrossing enough film that I was compelled to stay with and see how the situation was resolved. It’s just well-paced and engaging enough to overlook its many flaws.

Forest Whitaker and Ray Liotta are the name stars in PAWN but Whitaker is out of the picture quickly and Liotta, who can play this criminal type in his sleep, comes and goes. The real star is Michael Chiklis, sporting, for no reason, a British accent. It’s a needless touch but he does such a convincing job with it, it works. Chiklis has a way of holding your attention the way a snake stares down its prey and he’s a really good villain here. Rapper Common, Stephen Lang, Sean Faris, Nikki Reed, Max Beesley, Marton Csokas, and Jessica Szohr all add able support. PAWN is an exercise in ideas and suspense that is instantly forgettable but a decent ride while you’re talking it.

Presented in 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio, the Blu-ray features 1080p image that is always rock solid. Detail is impressive, with excellent depth throughout and shadow delineation superior. Even the darkest scenes reveal fine texture in the backgrounds, and close-ups and skin tones are tremendous. Great video (and audio) aside, PAWN does feel a bit like a rushed release in terms of extras. The only significant one is “Pawn: Behind the Scenes”, a 23-minute, featurette featuring interviews with several cast members and producer Jeff Most. It’s standard stuff and not very interesting.

Nothing else, not even a trailer is included here.