David Farnor | On 18, Aug 2025

Director: Tim Story
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Eva Longoria
Certificate: 15

It’s never a good sign when a comedy works much better as an action movie. That’s the bizarre situation facing The Pickup, Amazon’s fast-talking heist flick starring Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson.

The SNL veterans are a formidable double-act, at least on paper, as they team up for this quip-filled caper about two security guards facing a nightmare shift. Murphy plays Russell, an armoured truck driver eyeing up retirement, and Davidson plays Travis, a rookie eyeing up the police career he was too incompetent to pursue. Put together for a day’s long drive, they’re unexpectably ambushed by Zoe (Keke Palmer), a thief with her own plans for the future.

From the off, the film simultaneously puts its leading duo at the forefront and doesn’t quite know how to use them. As Russell, Murphy is the straight man to Davidson’s deliberately goofy Travis, a decision that leaves Murphy – a naturally extroverted comic relief – with not all that much to do. The result is a comedy partnership that feels lopsided and doesn’t get the best out of a performer who’s a veteran of the action-comedy genre. Davidson, meanwhile, dials up the outrageous one-liners with a deadpan that also keeps things relatively contained, so the laughs don’t go as big as they should.

It’s testament to both comedians that, despite this central flaw in Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows’ script, their improvised asides and natural chemistry bubble up to something entertaining anyway – it proves that if you put Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in a car together, you’re going to get funny results regardless of what you do.

It helps that they’re joined by a third player: Keke Palmer, who is fantastic as the formidable, focused Zoe. With a personal reason for hijacking their truck and with an eye on a very specific cargo, she plays up the determined villain without being afraid to lean into the absurdity of the situation – and swap hints of romance with Travis at the same time. From their initial, charged interaction, she’s an enjoyably unpredictable presence who emerges as the real MVP of the ensemble – Eva Longoria has fun as Russell’s wife, but has a lot less to do.

With the film already weighted away from its two comic stars, director Tim Story shifts gear into action territory as the film finds new ways to extend and remix its road movie format. Thanks to a slick mix of car chases, shootouts and robberies, the result is an entertaining heist flick that doesn’t outstay its 94-minute runtime. It’s an action movie with comedic moments rather than a comedy with action beats – if you go into The Pickup putting down those expectations, there’s an enjoyable ride hidden under the truck;s bonnet.

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