5.4/10??? Come on IMDb! In a way I can understand because my friend didn't really like this movie. I LOVED IT! I bought it used at the corner videostore, never heard of it so my expectations were low not to say null. It's now in my top 5 of 2013 movies somewhere after Wolf of Wall Street. It's even in my top 50 best movies ever along with smoking aces and running scared. I loved the first part, loved even more the second, and my only negative point is Brendan Fraser, witch in my opinion kind of ruined the crazy vibe of this great movie. I am not an Elija Wood fan but he did a remarkable character in this film. I strongly suggest you watch this movie and make your own opinion. I don't want to spoil the movie so I won't say more but if like me your in love with this piece of art or have any questions you can let me know. I just enjoy talking about Pawn Shop Chronicles. 9/10 Not 5.4 tskk

There are many people who are disgusted with this film and for good reason, but that can be said of the Tarantino films that it rips off as well. That said, if you are a film buff who can find humor in strange things, you (or I at least) can enjoy a film like this.At least one star of this review is earned for the scene of Elijah Wood masturbating to a video of himself. Combined with his classic association with the LOTR films makes the whole situation hilarious. There's also Matt Dilllon's role as the determined hero trying to rescue his kidnapped wife who callously and cruelly abandons his newlywed wife as if she deserves contempt for the situation. When he goes to beat up the kid in the diner it begs the question: Wouldn't police have been called and an APB put out? In a small town such as that, they'd have rounded him up in a moment. Tons of plot holes abound to marvel at.While others are disgusted by the Hollywood leftist politics of the film, I find it funny in a way how they are not aware of their own bigotries. While they bash southerners as racist, note that there is only one significant token African American role in the film who plays a wisecracking guy in the background. This is a perfect example of limousine liberalism. They ruthlessly portray southerners as rednecks but when have they EVER taken on the typical Democrat welfare mother? I laughed my head off that while the characters of the film reflect the producer's own feelings of why they can't understand why racist southerners hate Jews and Blacks, they themselves can't seem to figure out why they hate working class whites yet leftists prefer to live amongst, and make movies about, working class whites. At least in the 70's, there were sitcoms such as "Good Times" that they even acknowledged the issues that they sweep under the rug today.The closest film I've seen to Hollywood taking a hard look at themselves was S.O.B. and they couldn't handle even THAT much criticism.Despite, or because, of the plot holes, ripoffs, and cheesy roles it was possible to enjoy the comedic timing and performances of the actors. Imagine Anthony Hopkins working at your local dinner theater. Something other reviewers missed: The film ripped off the style of Creepshow.

PAWN SHOP CHRONICLES is…weird. Now that I've watched it twice and shown it to a friend to get an outside opinion, it seems the general consensus is that it's not a great movie. I'm not even sure it's a good movie. But it's weird and you find yourself drawn into the events as they unfold to see where it will lead to next. I don't know that all the comparisons to PULP FICTION are well founded. It's got the same non-linear storytelling with multiple stories happening at the same time and often interacting with each other, but it has none of the style and substance of Tarantino's original masterpiece. I suppose it could be said that PAWN SHOP CHRONICLES is a loving homage to it but it's nowhere near the same level. If anything, it reminds me more of the CREEPSHOW movies and it even includes pulp magazine/comic book title screens for each of the three stories presented in the film. This is an anthology movie with each of the three stories starting in a small pawn shop in a fictional Georgia town: a couple of white supremacist meth-heads plan to rob their dealer, a man discovers a clue to his wife's disappearance several years prior, and an Elvis impersonator prepares for a performance at the local county fair while coming to grips with the fact that his life has fallen to pieces. And it all starts in a little pawn shop run by slow-witted Alton (Vincent D'Onofrio) who passes the time chatting with his friend Johnson (Chi McBride) about all things meaningless.The film has a lot of problems and they're not all easy for me to pinpoint. One issue didn't become clear until the very end when the end credits began to roll and I noticed an executive producer credit for Fred Durst. Yes, that Fred Durst. I suppose it made sense, considering the movie. This is the sort of movie you'd expect from a man who put out an album called Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. On a technical level, the movie feels very basic. There a couple clever transitions (the filmmakers had a theme of using reflections/mirrors to transition between scenes) but the majority of the movie is very dully shot. A lot of quick zooms and extreme close-ups ramp up during action scenes but there isn't much else. The writing feels derivative at times too. Regardless of whether it can be compared to PULP FICTION, you can tell that the movie was certainly inspired in some part by it. There are attempts at Tarantino dialogue but most of them fall flat. It has a few good ones, particularly a scene between Raw Dog (Paul Walker) and Randy (Kevin Rankin) as they discuss why exactly their white supremacists, but a good deal of it falters. There's a lot of it in the scenes featuring D'Onofrio and McBride where they'll chat about porn or whether it's all right to make fictional characters black, but it feels forced. It's not helped with D'Onofrio's weird, stunted line delivery. I'm not sure where he got his inspiration for his strange speech pattern in the movie but it was distracting. And, finally, the movie ends on the weakest story of the series. The first tale got you pumped, the second upped the ante, and the third one nearly bored me to death. The tale of a horrible Elvis impersonator desperate for success fills space with a lengthy performance of 'Amazing Grace' that, while it ties together a lot of other elements from the film, nearly put me to sleep. The movie rejuvenates itself just before the end credits with a fun little scene in the pawn shop but the damage was done and it left a bad taste that tainted my final opinion of the movie.For a movie so small, there's a surprising cool cast involved. Granted some of them are limited to mere cameos (Thomas Jane) and others might go completely unnoticed (Norman Reedus). The movie is filled with familiar faces from film and TV. Paul Walker (also a producer on the movie) is almost unrecognizable and a lot of fun as meth-head Raw Dog, and Matt Dillon seems to fit right in to such a strange little film as the husband who renews his search for his missing wife after finding her wedding ring in the pawn shop. Between his role in SIN CITY and his performance here as Johnny Shaw, I'm really starting to worry about Elijah Wood. He seems real intent on shaking off any hobbit memories with sociopathic characters intent on giving nightmares. And then there's Brendan Fraser as Elvis impersonator Ricky Baldoski in the final tale. Fraser himself does an excellent job, even if his improv is cringe- worthy (for proof, watch the blooper reel that runs over the end credits). I don't blame Fraser for the weak final act; I blame the writing. I can't remember the last time I've seen Fraser in a movie (aside from his little cameo in the first G.I. JOE movie) and, while I've never been a big fan of his, it's cool to see him doing something off-kilter like this.PAWN SHOP CHRONICLES isn't bad. It even had me believing, for a while at least, that it was better than it is. It's crazy and plenty entertaining, and it'll leave you with questions by the end. There seems to be a theme of religious imagery throughout the movie but I can't quite figure out what the filmmakers were going after. Thomas Jane and Sam Hennings are obvious religious figures within the context of the story that offer characters salvation or revenge in a couple of strange moments, but all I can figure is that this fictional little Georgia town is infested with Satan. I'm probably reading too much into it, as PAWN SHOP CHRONICLES is just 90 minutes of white trash craziness.

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.