Surprisingly incoherent and boring

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Trrrific porno stuff in this 1987 movie. A party to die for; whatever happened to those good times, reminiscent of Studio 54 in NYC in the 70's? Women were shown either as helpless or as sex toys. None of the 2017 Wonderwomen fighting men in cartoons.Not much suspense, but snappy dialoque, if you like "pussy" talk.Schneider must have taken a lot of money to take this part. All through this movie, he worries more about his money and his wife's election than his wife getting killed...who predictably gets kidnapped, drugged with a needle, and raped by the sleazy villain. (We know this because the villain removes his shirt while Ann Margret and the villain sit on a motel bed, just before the scene gets cut....bummer). Bodies get shot all around, but Schneider is afraid to go to the cops? No cop can figure out these dead bodies ?Ann Margaret is shown swimming in the pool in a one-piece swimsuit, but no shot of her outside the pool. Bummer. On the other hand, John Travolta's wife is shown with her boobs hanging out as her shirt is pulled off (no bra, folks). That scene alone is worth the price of a ticket. John Travolta married Kelly Preston in 1991...so it is not likely you'll see Kelly's boobs anytime soon again

The acting, dialogue, and casting was about perfect for this material. The big Hollywood studios apparently wouldn't accept this script so Elmore Leonard had to go to Cannon (a.k.a., that company made all those horrible films in the Eighties). It has the feel of a low budget film, with a lot of rising stars, falling stars, people bumping into the camera by accident, and a director long past his prime, but it holds up pretty well. There's not one stereotypical L.A. landmark or establishing shot, the film is better than to try and look generic. Clarence Williams is a believably scary murderer, and the other villains equally repulsive and hateable in their own unique ways. If any character is underwritten, it is the protagonist and his wife, who just seem boringly bland and familiar, but that is sort of inevitable in these types of movies where everything hinges our needing to identify with the victim.The film is entertaining as any other genre piece of the era, by far one of the better crime dramas of the Eighties, and easily the best of Cannon's direct-to-video cheapos. I'd have liked it even better if it had stuck to its strong suit and went all in with its dark humor (as the film was flirting with the entire run-time but never committed to). The ending was kind of predictable, maybe other films have over-used the idea since but it doesn't date well. Seemed like a throwaway climax.

Roy Scheider is solid as a rock as self-made millionaire Harry Mitchell, one of those kinds of guys who seemingly has it all. But his indiscretion with young stripper Cini (Kelly Preston) has led to unexpected complications: a trio of bad guys with knowledge of his actions attempt to blackmail him. Harry decides to basically tell them to do something obscene to themselves and confesses all to his wife Barbara (Ann-Margret); he loves her enough to not want to damage her budding political career. So the three lowlifes up their game: they abduct Cini, torture and murder her (in a memorably disturbing sequence), and set things up to make it look like Harry killed her. So now Harry *definitely* can't go to the police. He then stubbornly sets about trying to solve the problem on his own.Co-written for the screen by Elmore Leonard, from his own novel, this is compelling every step of the way, with efficient direction by the legendary John Frankenheimer. Granted, it may not be to all tastes: some people may find it overly sleazy, or feel that the leading characters are just a little too cold, but it's fundamentally a good and twist laden story that is well told by Frankenheimer and a talented bunch of collaborators, including cinematographers Jost Vacano ("RoboCop" '87) and Stephen Ramsey. The lurid descent into the slimy universe inhabited by the villains gives the tale an effective edge; for one thing, ringleader Alan Raimy (John Glover) runs a porno movie theatre. At the very least, the villains are set up as being scummy enough that you just can't wait to see them get their comeuppance.Glover is simply perfect in his part, receiving strong support from a genuinely spooky Clarence Williams III as pimp Bobby Shy and an amusing Robert Trebor as pathetic worm Leo Franks, operator of a nude model salon. Also among the cast are the super sexy Vanity as nude model Doreen (she and Preston do show off a great deal of skin along the way), Lonny Chapman as Harry's lawyer Jim O'Boyle, and Doug McClure as politician Mark Arveson. Porn aficionados will note the appearances of stars like Ron Jeremy, Sharon Mitchell, and Jamie Gillis during the party scene.The film does admittedly go on a little long but it keeps its grip thanks to the acting and Leonards' enjoyably sordid tale.Eight out of 10.

Three sleazebags(John Glover, Robert Trebor, and Clarence Williams III) blackmail a wealthy businessman(Roy Scheider) after recording him having an affair with one of their girls. When he doesn't pay up, instead informing his politician wife(Ann-Margret) of his misdeeds, the pornographers murder Harry's mistress(Kelly Preston), using his own gun and planting his coat(both stolen from 's house)in her blood as evidence against him. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse between Harry and Alan(Glover), Leo(Trebor), and Bobby(Williams III) ending as these thrillers often due, in bloodshed. John Frankenheimer directs a story by Elmore Leonard where we must spend time with some pretty unsavory people and, while we might not condone Harry's own actions, can forgive him of his transgressions because Alan, in particular, is so completely vile and repulsive, that his affair seems minuscule in comparison. Bobby(as presented by the scary-looking Clarence Williams III)is more or less unstable, hardly hanging by a thread(watch as he smothers Vanity with a doll, trying to see if she told Harry anything about their identities), and is a foil for the more cunning and devious Alan who knows how to play his co-horts like a fiddle. What I felt works best for 52 PICK-UP is the difficult scenario Harry finds himself in. How in the world will Harry dig himself out of such a deep hole? It's mind games, really. Harry will have to outsmart Alan, even though he's not as conniving and deceitful, as sly and underhanded as his nemesis is. Harry's only option, it seems, is to turn the three against each other, all the while Alan has plans of his own to keep the ransom money. Kidnapping Barbara(Margret)gives him an advantage(there's one horrible scene where we see Alan drug Barbara so he can molest her), but Harry, of course, will get the last laugh. While Ann-Margret's role isn't as noteworthy, the cast, especially Glover and Williams III, is excellent. I imagine, though, that having to tolerate so much screen time with the evil trio(and their lifestyle around the world of the sex industry) may be a bit demanding for some viewers.