7/16/07: 52 Pick-Up (1986)
Like most people, we didn’t see
52 Pick-Up in a theater. The movie had already bombed when it turned up on a local UFH station in 1989. We caught the first few minutes and ended up watching the entire thing—even though it meant we were missing a concert by this band we wanted to see. When we finally made it to the club, though, it turned out the band was late in starting. Two of the members had caught the opening of
52 Pick-Up, and, well…
That’s how a film becomes a cultish little item.
52 Pick-Up had an added burden, though. It’s one of the few major-studio films of the ’80s that truly represents a Reagan Revolution mindset.
The plot’s as simple as the message: Wealthy married businessman Roy Scheider is caught with his pants down—on videotape, even—and gets blackmailed. He’s not an easy mark. In fact,
52 Pick-Up is a film that revels in how one man’s corporate clout spares him from having to put up with crap from lowlife creeps. That’s about as much of a plot summary as anyone needs.
It also explains why
52 Pick-Up didn’t become a well-deserved comeback for director John Frankenheimer. This is the kind of film that critics love to hate. There weren’t any alt-weekly film critics speaking in praise of this wonderful underseen sleeper. The big finish even dares to be positively patriotic. Frankenheimer further sealed the film’s fate by casting three brilliant villains. Scheider isn’t a middle-aged man being terrorized by young punks. Instead, he’s up against the same kind of forces that tried to curb his capitalism back in 1968—except grooviness has been replaced by greed.
John Glover was already in his forties when cast as the decadent criminal ringleader. His fey anti-establishment ranting is nicely complemented by Clarence Williams III as a bitter black activist. At least Hollywood casting directors were paying attention.
52 Pick-Up moved Glover to the front of the line in villainous roles, while Williams suddenly went from
Mod Squad relic to respected character actor.
Robert Trebor is also impressive (and overaged) as the trio’s weak link. He’s more of an L.A. stage actor, but his cameo in 2005’s
The Devil’s Rejects remains one of trash cinema’s finest attacks on film critics.
You might have already guessed that
52 Pick-Up is adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel. We’ve spent this summer reading three Leonard novels and a collection of his short stories. It’s just now occurred to us that we’ve never read the print version of
52 Pick-Up. He shares a credit on the screenplay, though, so Leonard deserves credit for the film’s general tone and incredible ending.
Speaking of politics, we’ll note Doug McClure’s nice turn as a politician who’ll remind you of John Edwards. People who prefer porn will want to note appearances by ’80s icons Amber Lynn and Sharon Mitchell—and perpetual legend Ron Jeremy, beginning an association with Frankenheimer that’ll last for a few years. How much more importance does a film need?
Make it your own: God remains on our side. We didn’t know until now that
52 Pick-Up got
a DVD release last month. There aren't any special features, but that’s okay. Frankenheimer’s dead, and we’d rather not know what a Leftist loon like Scheider has to say about the film. And now copies are even cheaper
on VHS, for that maximum ’80s experience.
