"Pickup on South Street" is a 1953 crime thriller directed by Samuel Fuller. The film stars Richard Widmark as Skip McCoy, a pickpocket who is the unwitting recipient of microfilm containing top-secret government information from his latest score. Jean Peters co-stars as Candy, a former prostitute who is unwittingly delivering the microfilm to the Communists as part of a blackmail scheme orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend Joey (Richard Kiley).
The film is set in the seedy world of Lower Manhattan and depicts the poverty and desperation of its characters. The film's cinematography, by Joseph MacDonald, captures the grittiness and realism of the film's setting and enhances the film's mood and tone.
The film's plot is driven by the pursuit of the microfilm by both the Communists and the FBI. Candy is caught between both factions, and her character serves as the film's moral center. Skip McCoy is a cynical antihero, who is neither a Communist nor a patriot but motivated purely by self-interest.
The film's climax takes place on the subway, where Skip and Candy confront each other and the film's central conflict is resolved. The film's ending is ambiguous, leaving the audience to draw its conclusions about Skip and Candy's fates.
"Pickup on South Street" is recognized as a classic film noir, and it explores themes of Cold War paranoia, government secrecy, and individual agency. The film was well-received by critics and is considered one of Samuel Fuller's best films.