Pickup On South Street

Released by: Eureka Entertainment
Released on: August 174th, 2015.
Director: Samuel Fuller
Cast: Richard Widmark, Thelma Ritter
Year: 1953
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The Movie:

Samuel Fuller's 1952 film Pickup On South Street has yet to receive a Blu-ray release in its native land but the good people at Eureka over in the United Kingdom have seen fit to give the noir classic a very fine high definition home video debut (Criterion gave it a great DVD release but haven't announced a Blu-ray at the time of this writing).

The movie tells the story of Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark), a pick pocket who winds up pilfering the contents of a purse owned by a prostitute named Candy (Jean Peters) when the opportunity presents itself in a crowded subway car. Skip has no idea, when he makes his exit, that he's leaving with a piece of microfilm that was being moved along by Candy's boyfriend, Joey (Richard Kiley), who just so happens to be a communist agent.

Candy soon realizes what's happened and, through the cooperation of a police informant named Moe Williams (Thelma Ritter), comes to learn that Skip is the one with the goods. She tracks him down and after getting socked in the jaw, tries to use her not inconsiderable feminine whiles to get the film back. It doesn't go as planned. Soon enough, Candy can't fight the feelings she's developed very quickly for Skip, all while Joey is doing everything he can to get th film back. This includes taking out anyone who might stand in his way, leaving Skip in a rather dangerous predicament… and if that weren't complicated enough, well, the cops are on to Joey and they're hot on his tail.

A low budget suspense film that hits all the right marks, this one was mostly shot on soundstages and back lots but some period New York City location footage does manage to sneak into the picture here and there (for a great look at those locations, check out this link). These help capture the claustrophobia that life in the big city can sometimes entail. Lots of tightly shot shadowy camera setups create the right mood for the story (Fuller wrote the screen play in addition to directing) to play off of in a big way and the movie goes at a very quick pace, never wasting a second of its eighty minute running time. The film features great use of sound as well, not limited to just the soundtrack - pay attention when Candy realizes she's been victimized and listen for an alarm going off in the background. You probably won't hear it the first time but it's there and it's perfect. The film has a lot of neat little touches like that, the kind that reward repeat viewings and that maybe you pick up on subconsciously, in turn enhancing your own involvement in the story.

As a self-proclaimed 'three-time loser' Richard Widmark is great as the male lead. His Skip McCoy is a tough guy, he lives in a literal shanty down by the water front and he's full of some great, gritty dialogue. He's cool enough to offer the cops a beer, rather than flip out when they show up at his place. Not afraid to get his hands (or his fists) dirty, Skip's definitely rough around the edges but Widmark's work here is good enough that, as much of a bastard as he may be, we kind of like the guy. The same goes for beautiful Jean Peters as Candy. Flawed? Absolutely! But a fascinating character regardless as she wrestles with her loyalties. Richard Kiley is great as Joey, the communist who is willing to do whatever he needs to do in order to get that microfilm back. He gets some great moments here and can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be, but the real scene stealer is an unlikely one: Thelma Ritter. Nominated for Oscar for her work here, most will recognize her from the type of light, comedic roles that she was often cast in but as Moe she really is fantastic. Her work here is completely believable and absolutely a career highlight for the actress.

The perfect combination of great acting, tight action and rock-solid suspense, Pickup On South Street remains one of those consummate noirs, the kind you go back to time and again and a legitimate classic.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Pickup On South Street looks very good indeed on this disc framed at 1.33.1 and presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. The black and white picture shows strong detail throughout, especially in close up shots which really benefit from the added resolution. Some minor specks appear here and there but nothing really distracting at all, while black levels stay pretty deep here without ever crushing things. Compression artifacts don't factor into this at all, the bit rate stays pretty healthy throughout playback and there's no evidence of any obvious noise reduction or edge enhancement. This is a nice, film-like transfer that should make fans of this picture very happy.

The only audio option on the disc is an English language LPCM Mono track, there are no alternate audio options available although removable subtitles are provided, again in English only. This track sounds fine. There's more depth in some scenes than you might expect to hear while the levels remain properly balanced throughout. If a few spots sound a little flat we can safely assume that's due to the original recording and not a flaw in the audio on the disc. Hiss and distortion are never a problem and the score sounds quite good, adding to the tension when and where you'd expect it to.

The main extra on the disc is a twenty-four minute long video interview with Franí§ois Guérif supplied by Allerton Films that was originally made for the French DVD release that came out some years back (but which now includes English subtitles). We also get a thirty-two minute piece with Kent Jones who speaks quite a bit about the making of this picture, the various influences that worked their way into the film, the performances, the style, the direction, the locations and more. A twelve minute video interview with Samuel Fuller is also included here in which he talks about making the picture. Outside of that we get an original theatrical trailer for the picture, menus and chapter selection.

The Final Word:

Pickup On South Street is a genuine classic, a tense and fantastically executed film with plenty of great performances, memorable dialogue and exciting set pieces. The film is not only entertaining, but it's whip-smart and it hits all the right notes at all the right times. Eureka's Blu-ray release looks and sounds fantastic and features a few choice supplements as well. An excellent release overall, and very highly recommended.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!