THE PICKUP - Mark Reviews Movies

The Pickup, Amazon MGM Studios

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Review by Mark Dujsik | August 5, 2025

The Pickup is a comedic actioner that, apart from the presence of modern technology, could have existed quite comfortably in the 1980s or '90s. Indeed, director Tim Story has even convinced Eddie Murphy to star in this earnest throwback of a movie. In this one, he plays a strange combination of his fast-talking persona from those older action-comedies and the straight man his character would have irritated over the course of one of those movies. Murphy's presence and the pop-cultural cachet he brings to material like this, perhaps, are the main reasons the actor is in this movie.

His character, unfortunately, doesn't have much to do, and maybe, that's because the existence of the character is secondary to that of the actor. Story wants to remind us that movies like this were persistent and, more importantly, could be fun for a long stretch of time, and Murphy was, for his part, a major reason for that trend.

Time and age and changing tides catch up to us all, however. While it's nice to again see Murphy in a movie that was his element for a good portion of his career, he's not in this to play a character. Instead, he's here to exist as a memento of the good old days.

That's not the actor's fault, of course. It's mostly down to the screenplay by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, which doesn't give Murphy's Russell, a career armored-truck driver/guard, much to do in the humor department. That role falls upon Murphy's co-star Pete Davidson, who plays the fast-talker here, albeit with loads of insecurity that make us think his Travis only talks fast in order to keep up with the self-doubts in his head.

It's funny in a particular way. The character, though, sure could have used someone to play against, but since Murphy's guy isn't much, Davidson is kind of left dangling on his own, too.

The point of this is mostly to say that, in the comedy department, this movie comes up short. Surprisingly, though, Story almost makes up for that with the action here. There are a few inventive, exciting, and, because Murphy and Davidson can be funny on their own, funny setpieces to be found in this movie, especially the extended chase that kicks off the plot.

That comes about because Russell, the veteran security guard, and Travis, a relative rookie, are teamed up for a day of pick-ups that will take them across the state of New Jersey from their home base in Atlantic City. Russell's in a hurry, because he wasn't supposed to have a long shift today, since it's the 25th wedding anniversary for him and his wife Natalie (Eva Longoria). Travis is more than willing to help out his partner for the day, because Russell is a "legend" in this kind of gig. One can't help but hear the meta-level of that kind of dialogue, especially when Travis turns on the song that accompanied Murphy's big-screen break-out more than 40 years ago.

Things go wrong, of course, because Travis had a one-night fling with Zoe (Keke Palmer), who turns out to have plans to rob the truck. She and a couple of henchmen (played by Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Cordova) have it all figured out: There's a stretch of highway along the truck's route that's a radio and cellphone dead zone. As long as they can pull of the heist there, they'll be long gone before the guards can call for help or anyone figures out what has happened.

The chase that ensues here—once the trio, in a pair of heavy-duty SUVs, surround the armored truck and the two guards decide not to stop, because Russell is convinced the robbers will kill them if they do—is impressive. It's performed for real, with actual vehicles on a lengthy stretch of road and stunt performers climbing atop the SUVs, clinging to the back of the truck, and all of the autos maneuvering around each other with a clear understanding of the logistics of the high-speed battle. The chase ebbs and flows, takes its time, and sets up tension, both because of the internal stakes within the movie and clearly seeing performers pull of a lot of the stunt work.

The rest of the movie that follows that sequence is so-so—a mixed bag of some decent chemistry between two pairs, namely Murphy and Davidson on one side and Palmer and Davidson on the other, and the buildup to a bigger heist, as well as a climactic showdown. Murphy often feels like a third wheel in the process, because the intentionally awkward dynamic between Davidson and Palmer's characters overshadows whatever role Murphy's doesn't play in the plot. The actor still has his charms, though, and pulls out a good laugh every so often, such as when Russell has to actually be an action hero and complains about what the strain has done to his body.

On the star front, The Pickup belongs to Davidson, whose nervous energy can be—and is more often than not—funny, and Palmer, who seems incapable of not exuding effortless charisma, and they're clearly having fun. If Murphy had been given the chance to do the same more often, the movie might have accomplished what it sets out to do, instead of coming across as a less-successful imitation of the action-comedies of yesterday.

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