--- title: "Pickup on South Street: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Pickup on South Street (1953): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 10 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Pickup on South Street, praising its economical crime storytelling and Fuller’s forceful direction. The praise clusters around vivid underworld detail, expressive close-ups and editing that sustains tension. Thelma Ritter’s performance draws particular admiration, while the combative chemistry between Richard Widmark and Jean Peters gives the criminal intrigue an unexpectedly cheerful edge. Several reviews also find moral complexity in the film’s sympathy for people whose motives are far from respectable. The spread is wide, though reservations are concentrated rather than shared across the reviews. The political material divides opinion: some critics find a probing treatment of hysteria beneath the spy plot, while Variety finds the theme thin and the effect unintentionally comic. Even that negative assessment makes exceptions for Ritter and the photography. The favourable reviews differ chiefly in emphasis, finding either propulsive entertainment or a tougher, more poignant account of criminal loyalties. ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2004. Tobias praises the film as an incisive, economical crime drama with a resonant moral vision. He singles out Fuller's sympathy for a stool pigeon and the film's vivid details of criminal life. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/pickup-on-south-street-dvd-1798199361) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 2015. French calls the film a masterly noir whose moral complexity and realism have endured. He particularly praises Thelma Ritter’s moving performance as a working-class informant who refuses to betray a fellow criminal. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/23/pickup-on-south-street-dvd-review-samuel-fuller-philip-french) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The review calls the film a superb thriller despite its initial dismissal as a McCarthyist tract. It singles out the film’s probing of political hysteria beyond its nominal hunt for spies. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/pickup-on-south-street) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 4/5. 17 July 2021. Bowen calls the film an amazing, poignant crime classic and praises Fuller’s distinctive visual style. He singles out the musicality of the violence, especially the dynamic close-ups and staging. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/pickup-on-south-street-blu-ray-review-samuel-fuller-criterion/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a forceful, engaging blend of noir storytelling and political concerns. It singles out the vivid characters and their less-than-noble motives. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/21da95aa-621d-5864-9830-214480f7788c/pickup-on-south-street) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a forceful, compelling blend of crime, politics, and romance. It particularly praises Fuller’s pugnacious direction and reportorial view of underworld life. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/pickup-on-south-street) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 1953. The page is identified as a contemporary review, but its verdict cannot be confirmed from the accessible text. The article text is unavailable, so no specific praise or complaint can be reliably reported. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1953/06/18/archives/article-3-no-title-roxys-pickup-on-south-street-mixes-underworld.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1952. The review finds the film largely unsuccessful, with a thin theme that leads to unintended comedy. It singles out Thelma Ritter’s performance and the photography as its main strengths. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/pickup-on-south-street-1200417439/) ## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams Rating ★★★★★. 1 September 2015. The review praises the film as a magnificently entertaining, propulsive noir with an unusual jovial streak. It singles out the bickering chemistry between Richard Widmark and Jean Peters as the film’s beating heart. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/pickup-on-south-street) ## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2006. The critic finds the film a successful, stylish noir with hard-boiled writing and effortless performances. They especially praise the tension created by the editing and the expressive close-ups. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/pickup-on-south-street-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street.md