‘The Pickup’: star power can’t save this action comedy from crashing

“The Pickup” may have star power, but even they can’t rescue this action comedy from falling flat.

The Amazon Prime Video movie, which was released earlier this month, sees an assembly of Hollywood heavyweights. It features Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson as the leading stars, but their jokes don’t quite land, and the chemistry between the co-stars is far from electric.

Then there is Keke Palmer, whose performance as the film’s leading criminal mastermind is also unconvincing.

Meanwhile, Eva Longoria, who plays Murphy’s wife Natalie Pierce, an erratic and colourful character, is the film’s most vibrant presence, though even her charm couldn’t mask its lack of spark.

This illustrious line-up of diverse talents in different phases of their comedy careers promises viewers an enthralling adventure, but the dull and predictable storyline has let them all down.

“The Pickup”, which is produced and directed by Tim Story, centres around Russell Pierce (Murphy), a veteran armoured car driver. As he nears retirement, Russell, a no-nonsense and by-the-book kind of man, dreams of saving up enough money to open up a Bed & Breakfast with his wife.

But his life is cast into turmoil when he is partnered with Travis Stolly (Davidson), a rookie who aspires to be a police officer.

As the unlikely duo team up for the first time, Russell is immediately unimpressed with his partner’s immaturity and lack of commitment to his job.

Already irked that he was to go out of town with the awkward and chatty Travis and could miss his 25th anniversary dinner with his wife, Russell decides to focus on the job at hand.

As he attempts to remain calm despite Travis’s inconsiderate antics on the road – reckless driving, oversharing and foul odours – the pair are hit with yet another obstacle.

While on duty, they are ambushed by Zoe (Palmer) and her crew, who are attempting to hijack the armoured vehicle. 

As Russell and Travis battle this deadly encounter during a dead zone on their route, they are forced to work together as they fight off the thugs.

But as they trade gunfire, Travis realises that Zoe is his one-night stand from the evening before. 

But little did he know that this hook-up was all part of Zoe’s elaborate scam, which involved stealing millions of dollars as a decades-long plot to avenge her father’s death.

This is because she got Travis to fall for her and filled him up with alcohol as he dished on all the details of his work and his scheduled routes.

Meanwhile, as Russell is determined to get home to his wife on time and as Travis attempts to be a hero to fulfil his dream of becoming a cop, they manage to fight off Zoe’s goons.

This instead forces the criminal mastermind to coerce the drivers into helping her use the armoured truck to steal $60 million in cash pickups from a casino.

Travis is smitten with Zoe and will do anything to impress her so he agrees to go along with the plan. But Russell only cooperates when Zoe threatens his wife’s safety.

Along the way, Natalie stumbles across the chaos and becomes a hostage. Longoria’s portrayal of a jealous and overzealous wife is the best part of the movie.

And while “The Pickup” draws to a predictable end, not even its stunts, explosions, trading of gunfire and fight sequences could save it from becoming an action flick letdown.

Apart from Longoria’s vibrant performance and a cameo by Roman Reigns, an American wrestler and former American football player, the rest of the film falls flat.

Davidson is as awkward as his character, and Murphy’s role in this film is far from his action comedy heydays, having earned worldwide recognition in movies such as “Beverly Hills Cop”, “48 Hours” and “Trading Places”.

This was also a forgettable performance for Palmer, who has seen better days in performances on “Screen Queens” and “One of Them Days.”

Overall, the comedy on “The PickUp” was dull and played out, while the action was anything but thrilling.

* I rate it a two out of five stars.