The Pickup Movie Review: Eddie Murphy’s slick new heist comedy coasts on charm but lacks bite

The Pick Up

'The Pickup,’ directed by Tim Story, will stream on Prime Video starting August 6 and stars Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and Eva Longoria.

In the ever-growing landscape of star-driven, algorithm-friendly streaming films, ‘The Pickup’ is yet another reminder that big names don’t always guarantee big returns. Directed by Tim Story and headlined by Eddie Murphy, the Amazon MGM production has all the surface-level sheen of a commercial crowd-pleaser.

All shine and no spark

But scratch just a little, and what you find is a paper-thin action comedy with few stakes, minimal tension, and almost no urgency. For a film built around a heist, ‘The Pickup’ rarely seems in a hurry to entertain. It’s the kind of film that looks good in trailers but fades the moment you hit play. Watching the film gives a sense that everyone involved showed up, did the job, and left without much belief in what they were making.

A heist with no heat

The story revolves around Russell (Murphy), a veteran armoured truck driver who finds himself paired with Travis (Pete Davidson), an erratic new partner who seems more interested in buffoonery than safety protocols. Their routine cash pickup route gets complicated when Zoe (Keke Palmer), a charming stranger with a sharp eye, smartly inserts herself into their day. But Zoe has ulterior motives—she’s at the center of a criminal plot targeting a high-stakes casino haul. As the plan unfolds, secrets unravel and alliances blur, but the tension never quite builds. The film dabbles in classic heist setups—timed drop-offs, shady middlemen—but rushes through them with little regard for suspense. It's all plot and no momentum. Even the supposed twists land without weight, partly because the characters are too thinly sketched for us to care who’s betraying whom.

Style over substance

Visually, the film leans into a slick, over-lit aesthetic—clean enough to look polished but devoid of flair. Tim Story, whose filmography includes films in both the comedy and action spaces, directs with a steady but uninspired hand. There’s a lack of tonal clarity: is this a buddy comedy, a heist thriller, or a satirical caper? The film hints at all three but commits to none. The action works fine but feels dull—even with punchy sound effects and stylish slow-motion, the fights seem routine. More than anything, the film suffers from a pacing issue; scenes end too quickly, character dynamics never settle, and the stakes never escalate. It’s not chaotic enough to be camp, nor precise enough to be sharp.

Forgettable performances

Eddie Murphy, as always, brings a charisma—even when he's clearly not stretching. He’s still watchable, still sharp in moments, but his character never comes alive. Russell feels like a draft of a role rather than a finished one, and Murphy, despite his best efforts, is left reacting more than driving. Pete Davidson, as Travis, leans heavily into his usual slacker persona. There are flashes of chemistry between him and Murphy, especially in the early scenes, but the dynamic quickly grows repetitive. Keke Palmer is the film’s best asset. She plays Zoe with just the right mix of edge and allure, hinting at motivations deeper than the script explores. Her scenes have an energy the rest of the film lacks—she’s funny and focused. Eva Longoria shows up for a few forgettable moments, but the film never builds an ensemble that feels cohesive or necessary. It's hard not to imagine what this cast might have achieved with a sharper script and a bolder tone.

A forgettable finish

Every now and then, ‘The Pickup’ hints at deeper ambitions—maybe it wants to critique power or question loyalty. But those ideas flicker briefly and vanish. The film moves from beat to beat—car chases, wisecracks, romance, betrayal—without ever weaving them into something cohesive. It’s not a painful watch, just a deeply uninspired one. ‘The Pickup’ isn’t a disaster—just another missed opportunity in a long line of star-driven streamers that never quite figure out what they want to be. It doesn’t fumble so much as it fails to try anything daring, settling instead for competent mediocrity.

Rating: 2.5/5