The image of Samuel Fuller is ingrained in the mind of anyone with a penchant for the latter days of the Golden Age of Hollywood – a grizzled, greying visage hidden behind an enormous cigar, serving as the genius behind some of the most revolutionary films of that particular era, and a pioneer of independent American cinema, long before it was fashionable for directors to embrace smaller budgets and less visibility for the sake of artistic freedom. Someone who combined genres without any difficulty, and told stories that may not always be successful, but were original and provocative enough to find their place in cinematic history, Fuller is a vital figure in that era of filmmaking. Perhaps his crowning achievement is Pickup on South Street, in which the esteemed but polarizing director took on one of the most controversial subjects at the time, the Red Scare. The impact of the years following the Second World War, and the various events relating to the Cold War, left an indelible impression on global filmmaking, nearly every country making some statement through their art in some way. As simple as it may be, Pickup on South Street is one of the most interesting glimpses into this era, and whether we place ourselves in the position of audiences at the time, who were likely unsettled by the gritty approach to revealing secrets surrounding events that were very much present in the public consciousness at the time, or from a contemporary perspective, where it remains a captivating piece of historical filmmaking, there is value to be found around every deceptive corner of this film, which is easily one of the most impactful explorations of a very controversial subject, brilliantly curated by a master filmmaker.

The rise and fall of Communism is a subject that cinema actively embraced almost entirely in real-time, since it’s difficult to look at a particular year between the 1950s and late 1980s and not find a wealth of political thrillers and historical dramas that touched on this theme in some way. Pickup on South Street isn’t the definitive text on the situation at the time, but being one made concurrently to real-world events, meaning that this film reflected very clear and present dangers that were faced by the American public. Fuller could craft paranoia like very few others, and in crafting this succinct but fascinating character-study, focused on a small handful of individuals orbiting around the presence of a missing strip of film that contains government secrets, gave the director the opportunity to not only craft a captivating Cold War-era thriller, but also a drama fuelled by fear and deception, two primary themes that this period of storytelling was built on. It takes us on a disquieting adventure into the seedy underbelly of a world that many of us are aware of, but are fortunate enough to not have much first-hand experience of living through. Fuller, for all of his peculiarities, understood the assignment, and puts together a deeply unsettling film that functions as both a tightly-composed psychological thriller, and an enduring period drama, one that says as much about this specific moment in history as it did the people, whose names are rarely ever remembered, but their actions having long-lasting impact, some of which are still felt today in a world that has become oddly fixated on paranoid assertions of power.

If there was anyone who would be able to pull some disparate thematic threads together in the form of something truly compelling, it would be Fuller, a director who didn’t ever hesitate to take a few risks in his long and varied career. A tightly-wound, 80 minute spy thriller seems like a perfect fit for a filmmaker whose entire brand was around pushing boundaries and immersing us in a version of the world that is nightmarish and filled to the brim with uncertainty. As a result, of all of his talents, his most significant skill was establishing a particular atmosphere, with every moment of Pickup on South Street being unbearably tense – it is continuously building up to a crescendo, after which chaos is unleashed, but in a way that is measured and still very insightful. Tonally, the film is a masterful achievement – the director’s ability to extract so much unexpected nuance from the most straightforward situations is one of the reasons he has only grown in estimation as time has gone on. As simple as the premise may be, Pickup on South Street is not a film that could be made by anybody – it could’ve either have become too excessive had it been placed in the hands of someone who wanted a bold, thrilling mainstream drama, or it could’ve been reduced to aimless wanderings without much depth. Fuller strikes the perfect balance, and in terms of both the general story and its execution, Pickup on South Street is a fascinating piece of filmmaking that says as much about the machinations of the plot as it did about Fuller’s own curiosities as a filmmaker, which inspired some of his most interesting choices in telling this story.

Cold War dramas aren’t often known for being fertile ground for great performances, but Pickup on South Street actually manages to be relatively competent in returning a few great characters alongside the captivating story. Richard Widmark, one of the most reliable of the subset of overly macho, brick-headed leading men that dominated film noir and other genre films at the time, is a strong lead, playing the resentful pickpocket with the same kind of machismo that essentially fueled much of his career. He’s not always the most memorable actor, but when he hits his stride, he could effectively lead a film. Jean Peters is the film’s co-lead (and possibly the most important character, which is quite unexpected, considering she is initially constructed as a thinly-constructed female foil), and her surprising level of charisma really elevates the film and makes it almost single-handedly one of the most original, insightful thrillers of its times. Naturally, the best performance isn’t given by one of the leads, but rather in a scene-stealing supporting role – Thelma Ritter is an absolute revelation in the film (although anyone who has knowledge of her career knows what a remarkable actress she was), playing Moe, the cunning police informant, with a combination of maternal warmth and wry humour. This is the gold standard of what a good supporting performance should be – only present in a handful of scenes, but each one being meaningful and thoroughly captivating, progressing the plot without stealing attention from the main characters. Ritter stands head and shoulders about the rest of the ensemble, and helps define this film as much more than just a by-the-numbers thriller, proving that the individuals at the heart of the story are just as important as everything else.

Fuller may not be aligned directly with independent cinema (instead serving as a relatively mainstream director who inspired more independent-minded filmmakers, both in his native United States and across the pond in Europe, to follow in his vaguely nihilistic, brutalist aspirations), but his detachment from populism, and his steady intentions of subverting expectations, led him to make some truly unforgettable films. Pickup on South Street is one of his most cherished, functioning as a deeply captivating and enduring thriller with a steady control of both the direction it is heading, and the process that it needed to undertake to get there. It’s an enthralling and uniquely-constructed thriller that makes good use of unsentimental characters and recognizable locations to create a gritty, social realist drama that also happens to be a frantic, paranoid Cold War thriller. It doesn’t follow the same patterns as many other similarly-themed films, which is a result of Fuller refusing to buckle to conventions – his approach is one of providing something original that entails a few enormous risks, rather than adhering to what had succeeded in the mainstream before. As a result, Pickup on South Street is an odd but poignant thriller that knows its worth, and enjoys gradually revealing more secrets about our unsettling world. Uncomfortable but brilliantly constructed, the film is an absolute triumph, and an important piece of 1950s filmmaking in both theme and intention.