Movie · 2025 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 34m · R · English
Curator score: 0.5/10 (31.9K ratings)
They're armed but she's dangerous.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.27/5
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Tim Story
Production
The Story Company, Davis Entertainment, Eddie Murphy Productions, Amazon MGM Studios
Cast
Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Eva Longoria, Jack Kesy, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Andrew Dice Clay, Marshawn Lynch, Joe Anoa'i, Jef Holbrook, Lara Grice, Enoch King, Nelson Bonilla, Ray Murphy Jr., Keith Adams, Charles Green, Regina Ting Chen, Bethany Rachel Tull, Christopher Davis, Laurence Chavez
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A serviceable but thin action-comedy with a few decent chase beats and some cast chemistry, but not enough wit, energy, or originality to rise above streaming filler.
Best for
Viewers who want an undemanding, star-driven popcorn movie
Fans of light crime capers with car-chase energy
People who enjoy Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer in broad genre mode
Skip if
You want sharp writing or a truly memorable action-comedy
You’re tired of formulaic streaming originals
You need a villain or plot with real suspense or invention
Overview
The Pickup is built around a simple premise and mostly stays there, leaning on a mismatched-buddies setup, armored-truck hijinks, and a handful of chase scenes that are more effective than the script around them. The movie has enough motion to keep from flatlining, but it rarely feels like it’s building toward anything beyond the next routine beat.
Worth noting
The cast does some of the heavy lifting. Eddie Murphy brings the most natural screen presence, Keke Palmer gives the film its sharpest spark, and Pete Davidson is used as the comic wildcard whether the material can support it or not. Their dynamic is occasionally fun, but the movie never fully capitalizes on the trio’s chemistry.
Bottom line
What lingers is less the plot than the sense of a mid-tier streaming action-comedy trying to look breezy while running on fumes. It’s not a disaster, just an especially forgettable one: competent enough in motion, too generic everywhere else.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Joe A (2★) · 688 likes
Get your bag Keke Palmer, get your bag.
wersku (2★) · 246 likes
That's squirrel monkey. They have huge balls." 😑
More like fuckup. Because this wasn't good. A film that is in a full-on chase with its own entertainment value, because the whole thing radiates an unfinished, windblown looseness that not even Murphy, Butthole Eyes Pete, or Keke Palmer can save.
A pretty run-of-the-mill film, though it leans more toward the kind where its only saving grace is a handful of chase scenes, and hey...they are surprisingly well-crafted, at least to my… more
joe (1.5★) · 240 likes
just meh. a movie that keke palmer couldn’t even save? that’s when you know it’s bad 🥴
CK (3★) · 227 likes
Not nearly as “bad” as people are making it out to be. It’s your standard action-comedy that knows what it is. Nothing groundbreaking, but it gets the job done. It has its moments and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Murphy’s still got it.
JP (2★) · 157 likes
Not good, but I've seen much worse when it comes to these types of movies. I'll still forget this exists in a couple of days. At least Prime stepped it up from War of the Worlds lmao.
2025 RankedTim Story Ranked
2012 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 49m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, TNT, TBS, tru TV
A modern example of a comedy that actually sharpens its action and character beats instead of just coasting on them.