Nick (Sean Faris) has just been released from a stint in prison for car theft. Luckily for him, his pregnant wife Amanda (Nikki Reed) is forgiving and welcomes him home with open arms. Eager to straighten out his life in view of his impending baby, Nick agrees to meet his straight-arrow brother for some advice. The pair meet at a local diner where his good friend, Bonnie (Jessica Szohr), works as a waitress. Soon after his brother leaves, all hell breaks loose and the diner is held up by a band of very angry Brits led by Derrick (Michael Chiklis). In addition to grabbing the patrons’ wallets and watches, this group seems hell-bent on locating something secreted away in the diner’s safe, but what could it be? When local cop Will (Forest Whitaker) stops out front for a smoke and comes in for his nightly cup of coffee, the chaos inside the diner must be hidden to prevent bloodshed. When the shtako hits the fan, who do you think the police will believe - an ex-con who just so happens to be in a diner being robbed? What happens after that is a series of twists and turns that will leave the audience wondering who is good and who is bad in this game of cat and mouse.
Pawn is a decent thriller with good actors and it did leave me guessing, but I just wasn’t completely riveted by it. Michael Chiklis does a good job as the angry Cockney robber and Ray Liotta is quietly menacing as the enigmatic guy who could be playing for either side. The only special feature is a short behind-the-scenes peek into the process of filming Pawn with some cast interviews. Overall, Pawn is a decent watch, but it just isn’t outstanding. It’s worth a rent just to see Chiklis and Whitaker together again on the screen, but it’s not one you’ll want to view multiple times.
