American Stories

This film is a very dark comedy, and is definitely not for everyone, as may be apparent from the previous reviews. As with James Joyce's "Ulysses," director Wayne Kramer's "Pawn Shop Chronicles" follows several characters through their own adventures during a single day. Unlike Joyce's classic, this modern story takes place in a small, quirky southern American town rather than Dublin, Ireland. Still, for those of us with attention spans longer than that of the average house pet, the threads of the three stories that make up the chronicles can be seen slowly interweaving into an harmonious comedic tapestry. The viewer who pays meticulous attention will be rewarded, since quite literally everything in the film echoes and resonates throughout all three vignettes, and like far-off thunder slowly building to a deafening crescendo, it all comes together in the perfect ending. Well suited to repeated viewings, I feel that "Pawn Shop Chronicles" is destined to become a cult classic among truly discerning aficionados of modern comic cinema.

I rated it so high people, I know, let me explain. I thought the movie followed a format, such as when one scene starts, it just keeps going and going.... In order of the best acting performances: #1 Matt Dillon, then Brandon Fraser, Paul Walker (different acting style for him),Vincent Denofrio, Elijah Wood (he loves those eerie roles, such as w/ Sin City he was evil), Thomas Cage (a hero in this movie), Kevin Ranklin, Ashley Simpson (I knew it was her when I 1st saw her!). One of the best and refreshing movies I've seen in a long time. This is just one pure high energy ride bcz of the actors just really got into their roles. WHoever picked this cast was an expert, this is a huge monumental achievement, in my opin. It has an intense script, drugs, violence, shootings, every scene is packed with superb actors with a plan of action. I'd like to hear what Quentin T has to say about this movie.

Despite the considerable amount of great actors involved, this film managed to remain off my radar until literally minutes before viewing it. So any expectations I had were formed in the few minutes I spent overlooking the film, that said, "Pawn Shop Chronicles", in the end wasn't quite as good as it could have been, but it certainly had it's moments and managed to stay entertaining. Director Wayne Kramer has more than proved his mettle in the past, writing and directing two film's which I have fond memories of "The Cooler" (2003) a film in which William H. Macy was brilliant in and "Running Scared" (2006), a film starring Paul Walker who rejoins Kramer in this film's first segment. With a solid director and such a long list of talented actors I felt this was going to be a sure thing. Then came the dialog from writer Adam Minarovich, weighing the film down like an anchor.

The film concentrates on a southern pawn shop run by Alton (Vincent D'Onofrio) in an unusual town full of unusual folks. It presents three stories, all of which are uniquely tied to the shop and framed out while Alton and his buddy Johnson (Chi McBride) hang out, business as usual. These stories range from speed-freaks, to kidnapping and murder. Each tale revolves around one item bought or sold at the shop and how they end up relating to one another in the span of one day. The first installment stars Kevin Rankin, Lukas Haas, Norman Reedus and Paul Walker. It's another day in the life of a few meth heads and there is no shortage of dark humor & hi-jinx, Walker as "Raw Dog" is a sight worth seeing as he's in full on "tweaker" mode, quite a reversal from the norm. The second installment shifts gears from the quirky to the horrific, starring Matt Dillon and Elijah Wood. Dillon plays "Richard" a man who finds a ring in a pawn shop belonging to his missing wife who's been gone for six years. He literally drops everything and goes on the hunt for her, ready to dish out some sickly sweet revenge to anyone connected to the ring. If you're a horror fan you'll appreciate this segment the most, I know I did. The third sequence, taking into account the insane direction that the previous story took, it was a bit bland with a most bizarre ending. It was all about Brendan Fraser, a burned out Elvis impersonator who faces an important decision while performing at the county fair right around the same time that a parade of nude women, all with zombie like expressions begin filing onto the scene.

It's all a bizarre & disjointed film which was trying to be something like a hillbilly version of Pulp Fiction, but failing to be anything but a mish-mash of the most strange and peculiar elements. Things do all relate to one another eventually and it's an entertaining film with some redeemable qualities, but the script is far from brilliant. I can't think of any memorable lines given or anything that made me laugh out loud. While succeeding to be amusing it didn't go much further than that. I believe Wayne Kramer made the most out of what he had to work with, but with a script lacking in any serious wit or style there is only so much that one could do. This film will likely be forgotten before it's even discovered.

"I went into a pawn shop and found it. It was like God brought me there." Alton is the owner of a local pawn shop. One day a kid comes in with a ring to pawn. This innocent event triggers something that affects many people including a group of meth addicts, an Elvis impersonator, and the original owner of the ring. I really like this type of movie. Movies where one event connects a wide variety of people and the stories all end up converging. They are fun to watch and are usually well written. The best of this type is obviously Crash but there have been others. That said, this is watchable, funny and entertaining but nothing amazing. The best part of this movie is Brendan Frasier as Elvis, it took me a while to realize it was him, but he was really funny and great in this. There is some really dark humor in this but there is also main stream humor, there is a little bit of everything in this. I liked it but it's not something I think I would watch again. Overall, funny and entertaining. A fun one time watch. I give it a B.

This is the first time I write a review for a movie, not that this movie needs one. But it deserves it. Because the first time I heard of Pawn Shop Chronicles, I thought the History channel made a movie about a very bad reality series. But don't let the title fool you. This one the best triptych i ever seen. Just watch it, I'll guarantee it, you'll have great time.

If you are a Pulp Fiction fan, you'll definitely appreciate this movie. Excellent and out of their "usual comfort zone" performances from some of the most under-appreciated and underestimated actors in Hollywood. Watch the movie and you'll understand it.