Eddie Murphy has passed the days of doing voice-over for animated films because he wanted to do things his kids could watch. He’s back doing adult action movies again. This time around, they aren’t as funny as some of his best films, the Beverly Hills Cop franchise,  the 48-hour films, or Coming to America/Trading Places. He was on a great run in the 80s. Not so much anymore. In his latest action comedy, he once again teams up with another SNL alumni, Pete Dsvidson. This may not have been the ideal comedian to pair up with for this film. He’s not on much of a good streak either. This pairing doesn’t exactly inspire faith in me. Maybe it will for other viewers watching, though.

Russell Pierce (Eddie Murphy) is a happily married man who is an armored truck driver by day. He has a plan to give his wife Natalie (Eva Longoria) a nice new diamond ring for their 25th anniversary. Instead, he gets shackled with the new inexperienced guard Travis (Pete Davidson). Their boss Clark (Andrew Dice Clay) gives them a long route to work on this day. Along the way, they get robbed by three people led by Zoe (Keke Palmer), a pretty girl Davidson’s character had a previous twist with before. This truck robbery is just the beginning of the craziness. There is more to this armored truck robbery than meets the eye.

In a weird twist of fate, Murphy, who is usually the funny man, is now playing the straight man opposite Davidson. Davidson off brand comedy isn’t my cup of tea. It may be for others, but he annoys me. Murphy, being the straight man, worked, though. He had some great banter opposite Davidson and the others. His story was worth investing my time in this action comedy. Even though he hasn’t been doing very good stuff recently. His quick wit in an older man’s body was interesting to watch. The older Murphy didn’t have the zip his young self had. Unlike Davidson, though, he has earned a little appreciation because of all the great films he’s made in the past. I could buy into his slick shtick this time around, but not Davidson’s. 

Even though this is a comedy, it is also an action film as well. There is one major action sequence in the movie. A chase sequence on a secluded road was quite an exhilarating experience. Cars were crashing into the armored truck, and guns were firing in both directions.  There were multiple car crashes and fast-paced racing. This was a fantastic sequence in a rather mundane film. Later on, there was a hit scene that wasn’t as extensive but equally interesting to follow along with and enjoy. The added action scenes helped balance out the comedy. Even if some of the comedy, specifically Davidson, was stale.

The supporting cast of this action comedy was okay. Mostly, Palmer, as the leader of the robbers, was fun to watch and the hilarious Dice Clay, who is always a pleasant surprise. He just knows how to make me laugh. Palmer had more going on than just a little banter and phone calls. She had an interesting relationship with Davidson’s character. After an earlier twist that they had, their relationship became very complicated, to say the least. Palmer had a film out earlier this year, One of Them Days, but it’s not enough. She needs to be in more films, not just commercials for Monopoly scratch off games. She is a talented actress and comedian, as evident by Nope, who came out a few years back. I want to see more of her.

I’ve seen my share of heist films, comedy and otherwise. The Pickup wasn’t one of the best of them. It had a few things that kept me intrigued, but most of it was pretty bland and not very believable. Murphy was fine in the straight man role but not good opposite Davidson, whose comedy has run thin by now. He hasn’t been working in films for very long, and he’s already pretty boring as a comedian. His shtick had run dry. That’s not a good thing for a relatively younger comedian. Palmer and Dice Clay were bright spots among the cast. The action scenes kept me entertained, but overall, this film wasn’t that good. It’s more of a mixed bag than anything else, to be honest.

2 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen