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Pickup on South Street

Play trailer Poster for Pickup on South Street 1953 1h 20m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark), inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy (Jean Peters) and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified information to the communists, Candy, who has been trailed by FBI agents for months in hopes of nabbing the spy ringleader, is sent by her ex-boyfriend, Joey (Richard Kiley), to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.
Pickup on South Street

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Powerfully acted and satisfyingly dark, Pickup on South Street is a Cold War noir that moves confidently to the rhythm of city street life.

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Critics Reviews

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Philip French Guardian Feb 13, 2025
Fuller hooks us into a complex moral web that never lets up. Go to Full Review J. Hoberman The New York Review of Books Mar 8, 2019
Insanely slangy, deliriously hard-boiled noir... Go to Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune Feb 5, 2019
3.5/4
While applauding the patriotism of his low-lifes, Fuller powerfully evokes a '50s world of brutality, compromise and redemption. Go to Full Review Fedor Tot Vague Visages Jun 13, 2023
That, of course, doesn’t mean urban anxiety and corruption aren’t present in LA noir, but there remains something specifically and inherently New York about Fuller’s masterful Pickup on South Street... Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Mar 20, 2022
4/4
A film that spits in the face of patriotism in favor of human survival. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Mar 12, 2022
Sam Fuller directs with thrumming energy, enriched by glorious pulp dialogue (Youd be doing me a favor if you blew my head off, Are you wavin the flag at me?), and punched up with the unmistakably visceral physicality of Fullers onscreen action. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve B @RT36942293 Mar 2, 2025 Criminals or Commies? Who's worse? The question at the heart of this hardcore New York street crime drama. But it's 1953, and paranoia runs deep, so we know the answer. Richard Widmark at his tough guy best. The incredibly beautiful Jean Peters is the " party girl" kept by a cell of spies. And of course the wonderful Thelma Ritter, who steals the movie as a street survivor working every angle she can on those tough Manhattan streets. Great New York street shots. But was that shack floating in the East River built for the set, or was that really out there floating around in 1953? And who knew that a pickpocket was known as a "cannon"? See more Zackary T @RT53613456 Dec 8, 2024 One of my all time favorite films. Sam Fuller was truly a master of the small, short, and heavy hitting b movies. The dialogue and acting in this film is truly remarkable. Thelma Ritter has me in tears everytime. See more James B @JamesBass Mar 25, 2024 Cold War Noir. Too bad it wasn't directed by Hitchcock or it could've become a classic. The premise is brilliant and the style is classic noir. I tried to not let the honor-among-thieves subplot bother me. See more nick s @Nick_S Jan 6, 2024 Well acted and good camera work. See more acsdoug D @acsdoug Aug 2, 2023 The story is nothing special really, but Samuel Fuller's direction is flawless, a young Rickard Widmark playing the tough guy is always a treat. and I was very impressed with Jean Peters performance. She achieved the perfect balance between hard boiled and vulnerable. See more Ted B @Movieaddicted Apr 8, 2023 3.5 stars; An excellent film noir from 1953. Richard Widmark plays a pickpocket who gets a lot more than he bargained for when he picks the purse of Jean Peters, who plays a gopher for a con man played by Richard Kiley. Rounding out an all star cast from that era is Thelma Ritter who plays a snitch that fingers the con man, not knowing what's really going on with him. She pays the ultimate price in the end. If you enjoy film noir that reflects the seamy side of NYC of the 50's, then this is your flick!! See more Read all reviews
Pickup on South Street

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Samuel Fuller

Director

Richard Widmark

Skip McCoy

Jean Peters

Candy

Thelma Ritter

'Moe' Williams

Murvyn Vye

Capt. Dan Tiger

Richard Kiley

Joey

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Pickup on South Street

Pickup on South Street (1953) Pickup on South Street (1953) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark), inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy (Jean Peters) and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified information to the communists, Candy, who has been trailed by FBI agents for months in hopes of nabbing the spy ringleader, is sent by her ex-boyfriend, Joey (Richard Kiley), to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Producer
Jules Schermer
Screenwriter
Samuel Fuller, Dwight Taylor
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 17, 1953, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Feb 17, 2004
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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