opinion: 1953.McCarthyism was in the middle of period known as the “Second Red Scare”, lasting roughly from 1950 to 1956 and characterised by heightened political repression against supposed communists as well as a campaign spreading fear of their influence on American institutions and of espionage by Soviet agents.
Hollywood was a boiling place! Everyone pointing fingers in every direction and everyone trying to save their own skin to not end up in a blacklist. These are the facts!
“Pickup South Street” is an excellent thriller-noir movie, packed on a great camera work and a large variety of grey tones plus one pure tight white dress. It plots on screen a snapshot of the American society at that particular point in time.
Skip McCoy (Widemark) is a subtle, elegant and quick finger pickpocket just released the 3rd time from prison, “working” daily on New York public transportation and accidentally subtracts a hot and secret microfilm that supposed to be handed over to the Soviets; Candy (Peters) a beautiful and elegant ex-prostitute, tight dressed in white, innocently used by her boyfriend Joey (Killey) as a courier for the Communist Cells, had the microfilm in her purse on the way to the meeting point; Moe (Ritter) an honest senior pickpocket master, usually selling ties for a buck as a cover up and working part-time as paid Police informer, saving money to be able to have a decent funeral, is the clever mother figure and the helping hand solving the case.
Moe, is the most important piece in the plot. She links all the three involved groups: the NY Police Department and FBI, the communist Cell and the quick Skip (one man show). Not necessary to say, the top performances of Widemark, Peters and special Ritter… “…Even in our crummy line of business, ya gotta draw the line somewhere…”
The three society “outsiders” are true patriots supporting the nation against the soviets. They are evil, ruthless killers and shameless traitors. It´s the fight between good vs bad. Right vs wrong. Dictators vs democrats. Communism vs Capitalism. Patriots vs traitors.
The movie start is taken (and improved) from Kurosawa “Stray Dog (1949″… Pickpocket cleaning pockets and purses in the underground and an old local lady helping the cops to identify and pointing out who did it. The subtracted object here was a microfilm with a secret formula to be handed over to the Soviets.
Don´t miss it!
rating: 4,5 of 5;
when latest: September 13th 2016;
where: S. Paulo, Brazil;
quotes: “… I know you pinched me three times and got me convicted three times and made me a three time loser. And I know you took an oath to put me away for life. Well you’re trying awful hard with all this patriotic eye-wash, but get this: I didn’t grift that film and you can’t prove I did! And if I said I did, you’d slap that fourth rap across my teeth no matter what promises you made! …”;
director: Samuel Fuller;
starring: Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter;
country: USA;
release date: August 24th 1953;
run time: 80 min;
genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir;
storyline: On a crowded subway, Skip McCoy picks the purse of Candy. Among his take, although he does not know it at the time, is a piece of top-secret microfilm that was being passed by Candy’s consort, a Communist agent. Candy discovers the whereabouts of the film through Moe Williams, a police informer. She attempts to seduce McCoy to recover the film. She fails to get back the film and falls in love with him. The desperate agent exterminates Moe and savagely beats Candy. McCoy, now goaded into action, confronts the agent in a particularly brutal fight in a subway.;
The Movies I have seen! 
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