Samuel Fuller is one of those directors who's rough around the edges but always has a great drive to the story, even if it can sometimes lack a certain satisfying point. Here, in his film-noir, Pickup On South Street, it's a sharp, small scale and dense film, drenched in the noir atmosphere but with an even darker smirk than the classic Bogart noirs. It's highlight is the great network of characters, each very developed and dimensional, with suitably radiant performances, especially from the deservedly Oscar nominated Thelma Ritter. Each character has their flaws and qualities in equal measure and it's a joy to watch them interact. However, it does abuse its MacGuffin (a Communist film strip) for political purposes rather than using it to scale the small story into something wider and contrivances, annoyances and lack of relatable characters as well as an anti-climax after plenty of potential for something sophisticated knock it down a notch. It's still a great film that's worth watching.
7/10
7/10