MovieChat Forums > 52 Pick-Up (1986) Discussion > Should have named it...

Should have named it...

posted 15 years ago by yojimboy
2 replies | jump to latest

"Roy Scheider vs. The World's Dumbest Criminals."

It didn't make any sense. If they had any brains they wouldn't have put up with Scheider showing up at their places of business and causing trouble, particularly Raimy's, where he physically attacks Raimy and then tells Raimy to show up at his workplace late at night alone and Raimy actually does it after Scheider slapped him around?!? Why?!? Why would these guys put up with this stuff from a guy they have by the balls? They wouldn't. All the power was in their hands, but because the movie is one of these titilating Death Wish style fantasies of one good man walking on the wild side and taking out all of the underclass scum that were so popular in the '80s, he gets to walk in not knowing what he's doing and walk all over them.

Ugh.

[–] TheManInOil 15 years ago

You're not thinking it through. The power was not really in their hands at all, which he made them realize by confronting them. Their only threat against him is to expose him to the cops as a murderer, which would cost them their meal ticket so he calls their bluff. They have nothing.

"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."

[–] yojimboy 15 years ago

"Their only threat against him is to expose him to the cops as a murderer, which would cost them their meal ticket"

That's the case with all blackmailing scams. If they follow through with the threat they don't get the money. However, not getting money is not much of a consequence compared to going to prison for a life sentence or getting the death penalty. They had the power. If you are saying they had no power, then the entire premise of the movie is invalid, because it's a story about a guy who is put in a horrible position and has to figure a way out. If they don't have power, there is no conflict and no story.