Pickpocket

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Pickpocket

Released May 26, 1963

1h 15m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Michel (Martin La Salle) takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques (Pierre Leymarie), and his mother's neighbor Jeanne (Marika Green), Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector (Jean Pélégri) keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist.

Critics Consensus

Narratively spare and told with clockwork precision, Pickpocket is a carefully observed character study that packs an emotional wallop.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

A short and flawless wonder.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 3, 2022

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Hypnotically intense and lucid...

Rated: 5/5

May 31, 2022

Full Review

Eric Rhode

Sight & Sound

At first one may be impressed by the mystery surrounding these characters, until one realises that they are only mysterious because they are unable to create their own destinies.

Jan 11, 2020

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[Robert Bresson's] austere style, emotionless direction, and minimalist scripts can become frustrating if you don’t connect. But there’s a purity in his ambition to pare away everything but the essential elements of cinema.

May 4, 2024

Full Review

Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

The style of the film is characteristic of the director... But this time the method defeats itself. In rejecting every irrelevant action, in ruthlessly refining away every decoration, Bresson has thrown away the motives as well.

Aug 10, 2022

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

A wonderfully flowing character study which treads the border between sanity and lunacy.

Jul 7, 2022

Full Review

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Lars N

Not much of a story to grab on to.... Guy's being a dick throughout the film, and the woman somehow falls in love him anyway.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/25

Full Review

Alexsander F

Um bom filme do ponto de vista cinematográfico e de roteiro, mas confesso que foi meio difícil de assistir, mesmo sendo um longa breve.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

Full Review

Leaburn O

Only a short watch at an hour and a quarter but still this dragged. A promising start gives way to French philosophical stiltedness and I never cared for the characters. It was a pretty dull piece of cinema that I don’t wish to see again but it cost me a little to get a copy for the library. Watched it on Blu-ray.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/29/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Bresson is revered for hiring non actors, but unlike the master De Sica who also often worked with non actors, Bresson can not properly direct them to get actual performances. The lead performance by Salle is laughably terrible, with lines delivered like an elementary school student practicing a stage play. This film is an overrated exercise in style. It has its moments, but feels like a student film. Bresson is only at his best when the actors can act with no direction.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I love French films but I couldn't connect with this one at all. The lead character is extremely boring and the story a little pointless.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/24

Full Review

Andy F

Engrossing and atmospheric but perhaps a tad overrated.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

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Robert Bresson

Director

Martin LaSalle

Michel

Marika Green

Jeanne

Pierre Leymarie

Jacques

Jean Pélégri

Chief Inspector

Dolly Scal

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Synopsis

Michel (Martin La Salle) takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques (Pierre Leymarie), and his mother's neighbor Jeanne (Marika Green), Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector (Jean Pélégri) keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist.

Director: Robert Bresson
Producer: Agnès Delahaie
Screenwriter: Robert Bresson
Distributor: New Yorker Films
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 1963, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 15m
Sound Mix: Mono