The Pickup

"They're armed but she's dangerous."

2025 1h 34m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

24%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.5

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 518🥫24%Rotten Tomatoes●38Metacritic★5.5IMDB · 19,267

ActionComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when mismatched armored truck drivers Russell and Travis are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by savvy mastermind Zoe.

“They're armed but she's dangerous.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Eddie Murphy
Russell
Pete Davidson
Travis
Keke Palmer
Zoe
Eva Longoria
Natalie
Jack Kesy
Banner
Ismael Cruz Cordova
Miguel
Andrew Dice Clay
Clark
Marshawn Lynch
Chop Shop

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tim Story
Writers: Kevin Burrows, Matt Mider
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tim Story, shot by Larry Blanford. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Lennertz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig Alpert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're armed but she's dangerous.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt30445556 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tim Story directs. Larry Blanford behind the camera. Christopher Lennertz scores. Craig Alpert cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Directed by Tim Story, shot by Larry Blanford. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Christopher Lennertz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Craig Alpert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They're armed but she's dangerous.".
7IMDB entry: tt30445556 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Larry Blanford
Original score: Christopher Lennertz
Editing: Craig Alpert
Production design: Clay A. Griffith
Costume design: Ruth E. Carter
VFX supervisor: Matt Welford
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Pickup (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 38/100
IMDB rating: 5.5/10 · 19,267 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Tim Story

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2025-08-04
★ 5/10
Heist movies – particularly those with a finely honed comic edge – have become one of the most popular and enjoyable genres in today’s cinematic marketplace. And, when they’re done right, they can be a lot of fun, too. However, to succeed as solid entertainment vehicles (not to mention works of good filmmaking), their creators need to combine their films’ various elements with smart, savvy, razor sharp precision, something that director Tim Story’s latest offering only gets down pat about half the time. When Zoe (Keke Palmer), a shrewd, scheming, seductive thief, hatches an elaborate plan to hijack an armored car for use in stealing the weekend receipts from an Atlantic City casino, she taps a variety of resources to make it work, including gathering inside information from a bumbling security guard/driver, Travis (Pete Davidson), during a convincingly staged romantic encounter that he believes is genuine and not the cleverly disguised ruse that it is. His ineptitude and naivete, in turn, lead to a daring, high-speed highway chase that results in the theft of the vehicle and ends up embroiling Travis and his seasoned partner, Russell (Eddie Murphy), in a high-stakes caper to swipe $60 million in cash. And, to ensure the duo’s assistance, Zoe reveals that she has Russell’s wife, Natalie (Eva Longoria), under surveillance – and under the threat of violence – if he and Travis don’t cooperate in carrying out her scheme. By all rights, this might sound like a grounded premise for a film of this stripe, and that would have likely proved true with better execution in several key areas. However, as far as releases like this are concerned, “The Pickup” is, unfortunately, a mostly mediocre offering. To its credit, the film sports a modest number of thrill-filled moments, a fair amount of genuinely funny bits and some truly kick-ass chase scenes. It also features a standout performance by Palmer (who really deserves to get better roles than this), as well as capable turns by Longoria and by Andrew Dice Clay as Travis and Russell’s surly, foul-mouthed boss. But the script needs some serious work, given its many plot holes, implausible story elements and generous helpings of predictability, many of which represent missed opportunities that could have been employed in making the narrative more inventive, unexpected and engaging. Then there are the performances of Davidson, who hands viewers yet another cloying, obnoxious portrayal, and Murphy, whose deadpan delivery often makes him look like he’s sleepwalking through the picture save for a few over-the-top comic outbursts that seem incongruent and largely out of character. Admittedly, this offering generally improves the further one gets into the story, but it still comes up disappointingly short overall. With some precision retooling in the writing and more effective character development and direction for the leads, this truly could have been so much better. As it stands now, though, it’s not only the casino that’s getting robbed.
Manuel São Bento2025-08-07
★ 3/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/the-pickup-movie-review-the-art-of-wasting-good-talent/ "The Pickup is yet another example of how wasted talent, a lack of ambition, and creative laziness result in a film that fails on almost every level. Despite a cast with potential and one or two inspired moments, the movie never manages to rise above its predictable storytelling, inconsistent humor, and complete emptiness - it's hard to justify the time spent watching it. Unless you're a die-hard fan of someone involved, this is one ride you're better off skipping." Rating: D
r96sk2025-09-08
★ 6/10
<em>'The Pickup'</em> ended up being better than I thought it was going to be early on. Still not a good movie, mind you. Obviously the writing et al. lets this one down just as much, but it was more visually that made me care less about it - it's an ugly film, especially 'inside' that damn truck. The world of film didn't feel lived in either, namely on that long highway; I know they mention it'll be a "ghost town" but that's a cop-out. The pairing, meanwhile, of Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson is narrowly passable, albeit arguably. Davidson is the better, Murphy underwhelms. Keke Palmer is the star of this particular show, her performance gave the flick the required energy anyway. Eva Longoria is alright, at least for the forgettable role that she is given. The characters of Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Córdova are exactly that too, despite having potential to be decent. It's the ending that stopped me from disliking this 2025 release. It holds enough action that I was satisifed with what I was watching. There was some hope for this, I could see glimpses of goodness throughout (e.g. that Clark gag is good), but all in all it's real meh.