The Pick-Up

The Pick-Up clearly takes influence in style from the classic film noirs, but it's a hell of a lot rougher than your average noir, and that gives the film a sense of originality - sort of like a classic where naked women get their nipples electrocuted! The plot is your classic crime thriller, and focuses on two men who are working as couriers to the mob, transporting a million dollars across Las Vegas. They meet two women with car trouble and decide to take them back to a hotel for a little fun - but it turns out the women only have eyes for the money, leaving the men in trouble as they are faced with the task of tracking down the women and getting the money back or facing the wrath of the mob! The film flows very well and despite the fact that it was obviously made on a small budget, director Lee Frost (the man behind a number of sleaze flicks such as Love Camp 7, Poor Cecily, Policewomen and A Climax of Blue Power) does well at ensuring the film flows well and remains interesting for the duration. The film also looks surprisingly professional and the director does well at capturing the classic film noir style. The torture is quite nasty and still has an impact despite the fact that the film is in black and white. Overall, this is not a great film; but it's certainly a very interesting one, and I'd recommend it to cult fans.

"The Pick-Up" was something of a vanity project for sexploitation maven Friedman. In fact, he and many of his cronies (e.g., Bob Cresse) play significant cameo roles in the film -- the best bit of business coming when Friedman himself illustrates how showgirls are cast. A lot more effort than usual was expended on creating a professional, stylish narrative, with the two leads being well-drawn and winningly acted, a twisty story with a few zingers in the dialogue, and fine Cassavettes-like direction from nudie/roughie vet Frost (who went on to more "legitimate" titles later). Although, in comparison to other efforts in the genre, the sex and exploitation elements take a back seat here, the realistic context gives them a more intense edge than usual -- it'll remind you of all the times you spontaneously ended up in the sack with some sexy dame and lived to regret it. One particularly electrifying (I mean that literally) scene of torture is right out of Michael and Roberta Findlay's playbook. This 60s rarity is only available in a print with Danish subtitles, and is a perfect follow-up to the same team's equally astounding "The Defilers", which was arguably the first authentic title in the "roughie" genre. Unending kudos to Something Weird Video for its persistence in digging this one up.