shock corridor ( 1963 ) be my first film from samuel fuller and and there i be impress with the director astute blending of b movie and big budget aesthetic and even if the story itself be pure schlock . pickup on south street ( 1953 ) be release a decade earlier in fuller career and obviously produce on a large budget from a big name studio and twentieth century fox . nevertheless and the visuals be still notable in that there a somewhat raw and naturalistic element to the photography and not unlike dassin the night and the city ( 1950 ) and kazan panic in the street ( 1950 ) { the latter be also shoot by cinematographer joe mcdonald } . in some scene and fuller shove the camera so close to his actor face that theyre out of focus and bluntly register the intimate thought and emotion and brief inflection that be communicate through that most revealing of facial feature and the eye . though ( unexpectedly ) prone to melodrama and and with just a hint of anti communist propaganda and pickup on south street be a strong film noir that succeed most outstandingly in it evocation of set the underground of new york city . when just out of prison pickpocket skip mccoy ( richard widmark ) snag the purse of a woman on the subway ( jean peter ) and he pocket more than he would originally bargain for . the woman and candy and and her cowardly ex boyfriend joey ( richard kiley ) have be smuggle top secret information to the communist and and mckoy have unexpectedly retrieve an important roll of micro film . will he turn in the macguffin to the proper authority and or sell it to the high bidder . if pickup on south street have a flaw and it that the story seem design solely to bolster an anti communist agenda and reeking of propaganda like nothing since wwii { dwight taylor and who supply the story and also notably write the thin man go home ( 1944 ) and the only propagandistic movie of the series } . for no apparent reason and every identifiable character even the smugly self serve skip mccoy eventually become a self sacrifice patriot and the transformation predictable from the outset . in traditional film noir and the unapologetic criminal always get his comeuppance and the rational punishment for his sin and but apparently not when they have serve their country while patriotism wipe the slate clean . richard widmark and an actor who i be really begin to like and play the haughty pickpocket with composure and though always with that hint of ill ease that suggest he bite off more than he can chew . the opening scene on the train be the film fine and a mccoy breathlessly and silently fish around in his victim hand bag and recall bresson pickpocket ( 1959 ) . thelma ritter be terrific a a tired street woman who will peddle information to anybody willing to pay for it ( though and of course and she draw the line at commie ) . jean peter be well cast a the trashy dame pass information to the other side and play the role almost completely devoid of glamour while fuller reportedly cast the actress on the observation that she have the slightly bow legged strut of a prostitute . nevertheless and peter must suffer a contrived love affair with widmark that really bring down the film attempt at realism . fascinatingly and upon it release and pickup on south street be promptly condemn a communist propaganda by the fbi and and the communist party condemn it for be the exact opposite . go figure .