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Information
- Year
- 1953
- Runtime
- 80 min.
- Director
- Samuel Fuller
- Genres
- Crime, Thriller, Film-Noir
- Rating *
- 7.7
- Votes *
- 8,627
- Checks
- 3,451
- Favs
- 319
- Dislikes
- 28
- Favs/checks
- 9.2% (1:11)
- Favs/dislikes
- 11:1
Top comments
-
lachyas
The 'romance' is definitely the weak point of this movie, it's the only element that doesn't really work at all. Apart from that however this is a very, very good late noir, with a fascinating premise and great use of Cold War paranoia that set it apart from many other similar movies. 10 years 1 month ago -
Siskoid
Pickup on South Street is a nasty little Noir in which a pickpocket lifts the wrong wallet, gets a hold of film being passed along to Commie spies, and a heap of trouble along with it, as police and Reds alike converge on him. There's honor among crooks in this, but no good guys. Even the cops are iffy. But the film is populated by interesting and distinctive characters that you get to care for them anyway. Chief among these is Thelma Ritter who's shtick is being great in movies, but I don't think I've seen her THIS great. Jean Peters is hot as hell, even if we can hardly believe any of her romantic entanglements - the time frame is too quick for any of these feelings to develop, but then again, she's really into toxic relationships. And I guess it works because there's no character more toxic than our "hero", Richard Widmark's slick but brutish thief. Lots of suspense. Cracking dialog. Shocks and surprises. Strong but unobtrusive Noir cinematography. And in a lean 80-minute package too. Recommended. 4 years 9 months ago -
armyofshadows
Pickup On South Street and Shock Corridor are the best Fuller films, I think.
This is an almost perfect noir, admirably and artfully made and very entertaining. 10 years 4 months ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 14 official lists
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This movie ranks #40 in IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
40 -
This movie ranks #79 in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese
A Personal Journey with …
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This movie ranks #89 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
89 -
This movie ranks #89 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
TSPDT's 100 Essential No…
89 -
This movie ranks #94 in iCheckMovies's 1950s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1950s Top…
94 -
This movie ranks #178 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
178 -
This movie ranks #229 in Eureka!'s The Masters of Cinema Series
Eureka!'s The Masters of…
229 -
This movie ranks #253 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See…
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This movie ranks #266 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
266 -
This movie ranks #356 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…
356 -
This movie ranks #464 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
David Thomson's Have You…
464 -
This movie ranks #663 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
The New York Times's Boo…
663 -
This movie ranks #802 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
Library of Congress's Na…
802 -
This movie ranks #886 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
886