52 Pick-Up (1986)

A secret fling with between a man and his mistress leads to blackmail and murder.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Elmore Leonard (novel), Elmore Leonard (screenplay),

Stars:

Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, Vanity

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Scheider	...	Harry Mitchell
Ann-Margret	...	Barbara Mitchell
Vanity	...	Doreen
John Glover	...	Alan Raimy
Robert Trebor	...	Leo Franks
Lonny Chapman	...	Jim O'Boyle
Kelly Preston	...	Cini
Doug McClure	...	Mark Arveson
Clarence Williams III	...	Bobby Shy
Alex Henteloff	...	Dan Lowenthal
Michelle Walker	...	Counter Girl
Philip Bartko	...	Test Site Worker
Tom Byron	...	Party Goer
Herschel Savage	...	Party Goer (as Harvey Cowen)
Ron Jeremy	...	Party Goer (as Ron Jeremy Hyatt)

Storyline

Harry Mitchell, an L.A. manufacturer with a fancy car, a nice house, and a wife running for city council, has his life overturned when three hooded blackmailers appear with a video tape of Harry and his young mistress. He's been set up, and they want $100,000. To protect his wife's political ambitions, Harry won't go to the police; instead, he shines them on and then doesn't pay. They up their demands, so he goes on the offensive, tracking them down and trying to turn one against the other. Their sociopathic leader, Alan, responds with violence toward the mistress and menace toward Harry's wife. Will Harry let up and pay off Alan or can he find some other solution?

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Plot Keywords:

murder | blackmail | heroin | sex party | pistol | 

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Taglines:

Greed. Extortion. Revenge.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

52 vive o muere

Filming Locations:

14312 Western Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Porn stars Amber Lynn, Sharon Mitchell and Ron Jeremy appear in the film in the party sequence.

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Goofs

Near the beginning of the film as Harry enters Cini's apartment we hear a gun being cocked and then see a .45 pistol being pointed at Harry's head. You can clearly see the hammer is not in the cocked position.

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Quotes

Alan Raimy: [narrating] Uh, this is where the credits would be. Slick Entertainment Incorporated presents: "Tit in the Wringer, or How Harry Mitchell Agreed to Pay One Hundred and Five Thou a Year and Found Happiness."

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Connections

Referenced in Blood Massacre (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Happy Days Are Here Again"
Words by Jack Yellen
Music by Milton Ager (as Milton Ayer)
Published by CBS Robins Catalogue
Performed by The Gary Tole Orchestra

User Reviews

Something about your face makes me want to slap the sh*t out of it!

Spoilers!

From the very moment I saw a local film critic trash this movie in a review on the 10:00 news, I wanted to see it. I don't remember who it was, or which local Omaha newscast carried the review, but the critic was very insistent that this film was way too sleazy for the average church-going Nebraskan. They showed a snippet from the scene where John Glover is about to kidnap Ann-Margret when she's swimming in the pool. Glover's character is commending her on how nice her body is and so forth, using many words that the local station felt necessary to edit out. I was hooked. There was one problem, though. I was only 13 years old at the time, and I had to wait a year until it came out on cable. Let's just say, it was worth the wait!

If ever there was a guilty pleasure of mine, this movie is it. To call this film sleazy would be a huge understatement. The film centers around a successful businessman who is blackmailed by three small time scumbags after an affair with a young woman. Roy Scheider, who is as effective as ever, plays the poor guy who just wanted a little fling and now finds himself at the mercy of three terrific villains. John Glover's character is one of the most memorable scumbags of all time. He's sleazy, funny at times, and always on the brink of doing something crazy. Then there's Robert Trebor's (nice name, by the way!) character Leo who is clearly in over his head with this blackmail scheme. He is a whimpering, sweating, coward who runs a peep show place with live nude models. Then, you have Clarence Williams III as Bobby Shy, a brooding sociopath who everyone is afraid of with good reason. Who could forget the wake-up call he gives Vanity with the giant teddy bear?

After dealing with the initial shock of realizing what he's up against, Scheider turns the tables on these creeps and takes control of the situation, that is until Glover goes after his wife! The conflict is played out brutally, with virtually the entire cast getting shot, raped, or blown up.

I don't know why I love this movie so much. It really should creep me out, but it doesn't. Maybe it's because these characters are all interesting, and the story takes plenty of chances that most films today would never try. It's scary to think that the adult film industry probably has more than a few characters like Glover's running around out in L.A. looking for trouble. Just thinking about his voice is enough to make me chuckle. "Hey sport, have a nice day!"

This film has plenty of shootouts, cool cars, great dialog (like the line in my opening statement), and decent acting. Plenty of cameos by real life porno stars. Look for Ron Jeremy frolicking around in a hot tub with two chicks in a party scene at Glover's place.

Another thing I must add: How hot are the women in this film??? Wow! Travolta did right by marrying Kelly Preston. Yum! We also see Vanity get nude in a time before she became a born again Christian. And Ann-Margret. What else could you say about her except that she is the quintessential American Beauty.

9 of 10 stars.

So sayeth the Hound.

Added Feb 14, 2008: RIP Roy Scheider!