Pickup on South Street
Seen it?1953 | 80 min | Thriller, Crime
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (92% on Rotten Tomatoes). A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved Ocean's Eleven or The Naked City, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense, gritty.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 20 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1953: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy, inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy 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, to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
92% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.4 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 40K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Samuel Fuller
- Richard WidmarkSkip McCoy
- Jean PetersCandy
- Thelma RitterMoe Williams
- Murvyn VyeCaptain Dan Tiger
- Richard KileyJoey
- Willis BoucheyZara
- Milburn StoneDetective Winoki
- Parley BaerHeadquarters Communist in Chair (uncredited)
- Chet BrandenburgFight Spectator (uncredited)
- Frank KumagaiLum (uncredited)