Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

52 Pick-Up Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 21, 2023

John Frankenheimer's "52 Pick-Up" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on it include new program with composer Gary Chang; new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Harry Mitchell (Roy Scheider) is in serious trouble. He has cheated on his wife (Ann-Margret) with a girl (Kelly Preston) that could be his daughter and someone has figured out his secret. That someone is now demanding that Mitchell agrees to pay over hundred grand per year. If he does, he can continue to be a great husband and businessman. If he does not, his wife and business partners will get a videotape revealing his secret.

While Mitchell ponders what his next move should be, his wife announces that she has been invited to run with the man that most everyone expects to become the next District Attorney. She is thrilled and ready to accept the invitation but is slightly concerned that as a councilwoman she would have to spend even more time away from him.

Determined to fix the mess he has created on his own, Mitchell begins improvising but quickly realizes that he is shooting in the dark. To help him decide whether it is in his best interest to pay the one hundred grand, he is then presented with a second tape featuring footage from the execution of his girlfriend, shot multiple times with his stolen gun.

52 Pick-Up is John Frankenheimer’s only contribution to L.A. noir. However, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, this film is without a doubt one of the most effective promotional pieces for the fictitious genre. It is drenched in ‘80s atmosphere and borderline confused as to whether it is in its best interest to appear stylish or sleazy, which seems like the perfect updated profile for a contemporary film noir that aspires to look good and be legit.

Like the very best L.A. noir films, 52 Pick Up has an unmissable sense of humor too, though the comedy material in it has distinct ‘70s roots that make it easier for Frankenheimer to overlap the sleaze with realism. This is the main reason 52 Pick-Up is frequently easy to compare to hard-hitting ‘70s films like Hardcore and Trackdown even though both are allergic to humor.

Frankenheimer worked with a screenplay that reworks original material from an excellent novel written by Elmore Leonard. Only a couple of years earlier, the same novel was an inspiration for J. Lee Thompson’s The Ambassador, which turned out to be Rock Hudson’s final film. However, 52 Pick-Up and The Ambassador have almost nothing in common, thematically and stylistically, so it is fair to declare that the relationship between the two is meaningless. (Leonard contributed to the screenplay for 52 Pick-Up but was not involved with the conception of The Ambassador).

Even though Frankenheimer’s camera follows closely Scheider, who is the undisputed star of 52 Pick-Up, there are a lot of great and memorable contributions from a very interesting supporting cast. For example, Clarence Williams III is outstanding as a creepy hitman who is having second thoughts about his two partners, John Glover, an owner of a rundown porno theater, and Robert Trebor, who manages the girls working there on his behalf. Vanity is one of the working girls and the hitman’s part-time girlfriend. A big, wild party also brings together many of the then-greatest stars of the adult film industry, including Tom Byron, Herschel Savage, Ron Jeremy, Amber Lynn, Erica Boyer, and Sharon Mitchell.

The man behind the camera was Jost Vocano, Paul Verhoeven’s favorite cinematographer. Vocano positions and moves the camera very well and produces plenty of outstanding visuals without creating the impression that their style was always on his mind.

Gary Chang’s electronic soundtrack is like a time machine. Its simple yet very lush synth-pop themes instantly open a secret door back to the ‘80s. It remains Chang’s best work to date.

52 Pick-Up Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, 52 Pick-Up arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

52 Pick-Up made its high-definition debut in 2015 with this release from Kino Lorber. The reissue is sourced from the same old master that was supplied by MGM but the technical presentation is different. How? The previous release had improper gamma levels, this release has the gamma levels set differently. Unfortunately, I have to report that now a lot of the darker areas look too dark and produce crushing, so there is actually quite a bit of extra detail that is visible on the previous release but not on this release. This is an ongoing issue on newer Kino Lorber releases, too. For some reason, the encoder flattens darker areas because specific presets are not done right. The current master has plenty of limitations as well. For example, while pleasing, delineation, clarity, and depth are not as good as they need to be. Highlights and darker nuances fluctuate quite a bit and most wider panoramic shots look notably dated. Colors are stable. However, this is another area where substantial improvements can be made. Image stability is good. I noticed some small blemishes popping up here and there, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

52 Pick-Up Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Gary Chang's electronic soundtrack does some very special things to enhance the film's unique atmosphere. The music sounds good but not great. In several areas, it feels like the dynamic field should be quite a bit bigger and capable of producing better contrasts. I have to speculate that if in the future the film is fully redone in 4K and the audio remastered, the main improvements will be in this area, where dynamic contrasts will be superior. The dialog is clean and easy to follow.

52 Pick-Up Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson.

• Isolated Music Track with Gary Chang - a very interesting isolated music track featuring comments by composer Gary Chang, who discusses his background, involvement with 52 Pick-Up, and some of the unique qualities of the soundtrack he created for the film.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for 52 Pick-Up. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage TV spots for 52 Pick-Up. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

52 Pick-Up Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

52 Pick-Up is John Frankenheimer's only contribution to L.A. noir. However, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the film is without a doubt one of the most effective promotional pieces for the fictitious genre. I am a pretty big fan of it. This release from Kino Lorber is sourced from the same old master that was used for the label's original out-of-print release but the technical presentation of the film is different. Also, the release has exclusive new bonus features. Should you purchase it? If you already have the previous release, no. Hopefully, in the future, 52 Pick-Up will be fully restored in 4K and made available on 4K Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED. (While not an L.A. noir film, thematically and stylistically Special Effects is very similar to 52 Pick-Up, so if you do not have it yet, track down a copy for your library).