A powerful and haunting drama dealing with the effects of Holocaust survival on the human personalility. Jewish pawnbroker Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger) is tormented by his memories of his time in a Nazi concentration camp where his family was exterminated.

Now living in his run-down shop in Harlem, he has withdrawn from life, frustrating his Puerto Rican assistant, Ortiz (Jamie Sanchez), who wants to learn about business from Sol.

Ortiz approaches Rodriguez (Brock Peters), a racketeer who has been using the shop as a front, and the two decide to rob Sol. Subtle and ambiguous, the film remains riveting thanks to Sidney Lumet's taut, imaginative direction and especially Steiger's Oscar-nominated performance -- arguably his best in the movies.