A pickpocket, (Richard Widmark) casually plying his trade on a crowded subway, relieves a gangster's moll (Jean Peters) of the contents of her purse which just so happen to be government secrets she was unwittingly transferring to the Russians. Now, the pickpocket is the target of both U.S. agents and the gangster's deadly cohorts, and must decide what to do with his highly targeted acquisition and the equally jeopardized femme fatale who has also fallen into his lap. Sam Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" is a gritty crime thriller that features many jarring scenes and relies heavily on Widmark's characteristically nasty lead performance. Thelma Ritter is likewise excellent as an ill-fated police informant.
