‘The Pawnbroker’

Sidney Lumet’s 1965 film from the Edward Lewis Wallant novel--about a Jewish pawnbroker (Rod Steiger, right, in a towering portrayal) in Harlem who’s sealed himself off from life to protect himself from his nightmarish death-camp memories--has a little too much in the way of imitation-Resnais flashback pyrotechnics. But when the film stays simple, and concentrates on the actors--as in Juano Hernandez’s withering bit as the old man who wants to talk--it’s almost great (Bravo Friday at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m.).

Other four-star films airing this week:

Anatomy of a Murder / TMC, Tuesday, 9:10 a.m.

The Verdict / TNT, Wednesday, 5 p.m.

The Day the Earth Stood Still / TMC, Thursday, 11:45 a.m.

The Killers (1946) AMC, Thursday, 9 p.m.

Touch of Evil / AMC, Friday, 1 a.m.

Body and Soul / AMC, Friday, 9:30 p.m.