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:

They shouldn't have blackmailed Harry Mitchell. He made them pay - in blood....

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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

The "exploding" Jaguar is slightly different than the one used throughout the film. It has a dent between the door and bonnet, lacks the passenger-side rear-view mirror, and the hard top is missing the glass rear window. Given the value of the car it is forgivable that the "real" one was not blown up.

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Quotes

[Alan is showing a snuff film in which a girl is shot]
Alan Raimy: The best thing about Cini is that she not only lives her part, she dies it too.

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Connections

Referenced in RoboCop 2 (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Ezz'thetic"
Written by George Russell
Published by Russ-Hix Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Soul Note Records

User Reviews

Another Winner By The Great John Frankenheimer

Based on Elmore Leonard, this is a violent and intelligent action film. The story: a business man is blackmailed by some 3 criminals. Roy Schieder does great job as the leading character and special credit's got to go to John Glover who plays sort of a naughty psychopath. I must mention that the villains characters are very complex and interesting - something that is very rare for an action film. also features some beautiful and sexy women - most notable are Kelly Preston as the young bate for Schieder's character. Vanity gives a very good performance and appearance as the hooker who is connected with the three blackmailers. I'm glad to say that Ann-Margaret still hasn't lost it - this lady is a true babe. Don't look at the rate of this film. I really don't know what the public and some critics have against this film but my suggestion is to ignore them and watch this truly gripping and under-rated film. You will enjoy it, that's a promise. Recommended A+.