When a pawn shop owner and his conspiracy theorist employee encounter a lesbian couple trying to sell a sword they inherited, the four mismatched personalities (played by Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Jillian Bell, and Michaela Watkins respectively) decide to work together to trade the Civil War-era sword to Confederate fanatics for a large payout.

If you think this sounds like a wild adventure, it certainly is. But Sword of Trust elects for a dry and slow paced type of narrative…a choice that comes with its successes and off beats.

Much of Sword of Trust takes place in a pawn shop. The comedy, the isolated setting, and the periodic establishing shots often make the film feel like a sitcom minus the laugh tracks. And most times, the clashing of the characters’ personalities is quite amusing. But laugh out loud moments are scarce since so much of the dialogue seems better suited for participants in the moment than for spectators.

Once the characters are escorted to an interested buyer however, the story switches gears, moving the setting from the pawn shop to the back of a service van. Here, the narrative throttles the comedy to instead spotlight the captivating backgrounds of these characters, each story possessing intriguing mini-series potential.

But at the end of this confined journey, the gear shifts again. It’s here when overarching themes are only halfway explored and plot-points resort to cliches that it becomes clear Sword of Trust could’ve been a more compelling blend of its components.

Acting and Casting - 1 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?