Pickup on South Street (1953)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  One of the great film noir's and my favorite early work of Sam Fuller.

• Reid V

  
  A classic Sam Fuller film Noir. While it features all of the trappings of a detective story during the peak years of the Red Scare (communist spies, atomic espionage), Fuller makes these characters multi-dimensional. Not only are the cops less than honorable in their pursuit of the… More
  A classic Sam Fuller film Noir. While it features all of the trappings of a detective story during the peak years of the Red Scare (communist spies, atomic espionage), Fuller makes these characters multi-dimensional. Not only are the cops less than honorable in their pursuit of the criminals, but the criminals themselves aren't particularly maladjusted people. In fact, Fuller shows that in many ways they are a victim of circumstance. Americans aren't basking in their lavish houses and doing their part to preserve their freedom and access to copious amounts of material wealth. Many have been worn down by the system and find that getting popped by a "red" is better than facing another day. And sometimes...just sometimes, being a pickpocket is more honorable than being a cop. With this, Fuller throws a monkey wrench in the classic battle between American good versus Communist evil. I don't know how this one got passed the censorship, but maybe as long as Communists were vilified, then they didn't care so much about the subtext. It is a smart and subtly subversive noir and is well worth a watch.

• AJ V

  
  Utterly brilliant movie, I loved Widmark's performance, I just fell in love with him by watching this movie. If you love 50s thrillers, you can't miss this one.

• Randy T

  
  Richard Widmark is a petty thief hungry for that one big score. Jean Peters is a kind-hearted but gullible beauty who is unknowingly involved in international espionage. Thelma Ritter, God bless her, is a street peddler and police informant saving her pennies to pay for her own… More
  Richard Widmark is a petty thief hungry for that one big score. Jean Peters is a kind-hearted but gullible beauty who is unknowingly involved in international espionage. Thelma Ritter, God bless her, is a street peddler and police informant saving her pennies to pay for her own funeral. Samuel Fuller's <i>Pickup on South Street</i> illustrates that heroes can sometimes spring from some very dark places. High on my list of favorite film noirs.

• Cindy I

  
  A good suspense film about a pickpocket (Richard Widmark) who unknowingly picks some microfiilm from a woman's (Jean Peters) purse. The cops saw him do it because they had their eye on the girl, who was taking the film to a "Mr. Big" type. The rest of the film is… More
  A good suspense film about a pickpocket (Richard Widmark) who unknowingly picks some microfiilm from a woman's (Jean Peters) purse. The cops saw him do it because they had their eye on the girl, who was taking the film to a "Mr. Big" type. The rest of the film is Widmark being pursued by the police and by the people who want the film. Not as exciting as it sounds, but it holds your attention. Widmark was always good at playing sleazeballs, and he doesn't disappoint here. You wanna slap him every time he's on screen. But more memorable are Thelma Ritter -- was she EVER bad in a role? -- as Mo, the police informant who sells ties as a front and is saving money for her funeral (it's implied that she is dying), and a horrible scene in which Richard Kiley beats the $#!+ out of Jean Peters. To his credit, director Sam Fuller did not make this one of those old "guy slaps girl around, girl likes it, falls into guy's arms". Nope -- Kiley gives Peters a workover that would make Mike Tyson jealous -- he punches and slaps her, throws her against the dresser, the wall and the floor in a complete rage. And all because she lied to him. The only real problem I have with this is the happy ending. It seems tacked on, and kinda messes up the momentum the film had going. Otherwise, a good evening's entertainment.

• Veronique K

  
  "pickup on south street" is samuel fuller's gritty noir interpreted in the his trademarked journalist perspect, within a disorietated world, in lack of humprey bogart's sam spade or philip marlowe. inevitably, director fuller infuses his political cynicism upon the… More
  "pickup on south street" is samuel fuller's gritty noir interpreted in the his trademarked journalist perspect, within a disorietated world, in lack of humprey bogart's sam spade or philip marlowe. inevitably, director fuller infuses his political cynicism upon the scenario of communist apprehesion as well as the anarchic disbelief in patriotism. richard widmark plays a pickpocket whose thievery casts great hinderance to communist conspiracy so he sinks into a target as the ultimate wanted man. it evocates the involvements of walks of life in the ghetto, such as thelma ritter's stool pidgeon who is keen to gather the sum of her final decent funeral; jean peters as the sappy girl who descends as the mistress of abusive communist agent. the usage of slangs are a hard-boiled defiance for certain audience to follow. eventually widmark vows to beat down the communist not for the sake of his devoted enthusiasm over this country but for avid sense of vegence for his beloved girlfriend who refuses to doublecross him. "pickup on south street" might be a new breed of film noir then, and absolutely iconclastic to the classic noir heroism magnefied by humprey bogart or dick powell as the die-hard noir savior who straightens things off with un-fading mettle and belief into the righteous. the abscence of heroism is one particular trait for this flick as well as the specific indication toward fanatic maccathyism. fuller cannot help but vent his patterned reel of newspaper realism. and also, the major star richard widmark does ignite the screen with his irreconciled paroteriat pride while thelma ritter sneers at you with her street-cred then it shatters into pieces of broken ghetto dream as she gets shot to death by the communist at last.

• Stella D

  
  grade A 50's noir. thelma ritter will break your heart

• Ken S

  
  Awesome Fuller Film Noir. Richard Widmark shines in another smarmy star performance!

• Michael G

  
  Great latter-day film noir.

• cody f

  
  One of Sam Fullers better films. I always respect what Fuller brings to the table,but I never love any of his films. Maybe he was making films in the wrong decade,because his films are very gritty and ahead their time content wise.I still think he never took the next step as Pekinpah… More
  One of Sam Fullers better films. I always respect what Fuller brings to the table,but I never love any of his films. Maybe he was making films in the wrong decade,because his films are very gritty and ahead their time content wise.I still think he never took the next step as Pekinpah did in the late 60's. This film is about a pickpocket who steals a piece of microfilm on a subway and the cops and commies want a piece of him. Beautifully played by Widmark and also a Oscar nominated performance by Thelma Ritter. The main problem I had was the love story was a bit rushed,but Widmark and Jean Peters have great chemistry and Peters was perfectaly cast. The movie was made in the early 50's so it is very anti-red.The Hays office and FBI wanted to censor this film,but the studio stuck by Fuller and the film was barely touched. The brutality is very graphic and still is jarring today.Widmark shines again and this film proves to me again that Thelma Ritter was the best character actress of her time.

• Tom S

  
  Loved Moe.

Read all 11 featured audience ratings