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Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Pierre Étaix, Jean Pelegri ... see more see more... , Cesar Gattegno , Kassagi , Dolly Scal

Director Robert Bresson chose Uruguayan nonactor Martin LaSalle for his leading man in Pickpocket. LaSalle's inexperience works against the film for some viewers, though Bresson himself was satisfied ... read more read more...because his star proved himself a quick study in the art of lifting wallets (a genuine pickpocket was engaged as "technical adviser"). Essentially, the story is a character study of a cocky young criminal who becomes so entranced by the act of picking pockets that he literally can't stop himself. The Bressonian technique of concentrating more on the mechanics of the plot than the emotions of the characters is, as always, a matter of taste. Filmed in 1959, Pickpocket was released in the US in 1963. Loosely inspired by Feodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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21 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 15 min.

Directed by: Robert Bresson

Release Date: December 1, 1959

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DVD Release Date: November 8, 2005

Stats: 390 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (390)

  • bottcorecords1
    February 22, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Written and directed by acclaimed french film-maker Robert Bresson, Pickpocket is the stark story of an impoverished, would-be writer who takes to a life of crime, partly as a necessity and partly for the simple thrill of it. Michel (Martin LaSalle) rarely evokes much emotion du... read morering the course of the film, but his eyes speak volumes. His apartment is so stark, it doesn't even have a handle or lock on the door, just a flimsy little hook to keep it shut when he wants some privacy. He seems to have only one suit, which he wears at all times. His friend Jacques (Pierre Leymarie) tries to help him get a job, so he might buy some new clothes even, but it's an effort that's wasted on a disinterested party. When Michel comes to visit his dying mother, he meets the woman next door who has been caring for her. Jeanne (Markia Green) strikes his interest, but her pretty face is nothing compared to the allure of pickpocketing. He makes friends with other pickpockets, and learns a great deal from his companions (he's always studying to better himself at this craft). Only his conscience, in the guise of a police inspector, ever slows him down or gives him thought. As the film progresses, Michel gets more and more paranoid (but not enough to quit). In the dvd commentary, writer Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) explains that Bresson was trying to upset the audience's sense of well-being by not following the rules one expects when sitting down to watch a film. He uses very little music in his film, using it only here and there, sometimes at appropriate times, sometimes at seemingly inappropriate ones. He also avoids showing key points to the film (something that should never happen), such as when Michel gets arrested early in the picture: one moment he's walking down the street, confident and on top of the world, the next he's sitting in the back of a police car. The actual arrest isn't shown. Whether Bresson was intentionally trying to upset the viewer or simply trying to upset the apple cart and shake things up a little bit, I'm not sure, but it's certainly an interesting movie.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Beautifully filmed and masterfully accomplished, Bresson's loose version of Crime and Punishment is by far my favourite. I was almost hypnotised during the pickpocket sequences, thank God for pause buttons. I'm sad aren't I?. Anyway, great film but unfortunately the acting is a l... read moreittle wooden but forgivable!
  • fb1142797643
    May 2, 2011
    fb1142797643
    The appeal of "Pickpocket" is less about its story (the title is self-explanatory) and more about the deft economy of Robert Bresson's direction. Not a stroke is wasted. The depictions of intricate, tag-team pickpocket moves are especially sharp -- the eye can barely follow the a... read morection.

    "Pickpocket" has one glaring handicap: The untrained actors look strangely dazed throughout the film. This may be an intentional effect, but their stupor leaves little room for an emotional connection. Luckily, the movie is over so soon that it never has a chance to turn dull.
  • gator681
    October 11, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Pickpocket", Michel is a pickpocket of some talent but very little knowledge. His mother who he cannot bring himself to visit is seriously ill. Along the way, he makes new friends with his mother's neighbors, a police detective and an expert pickpocket ... read morewho enlists and trains him.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Robert Bresson is more interested in getting inside the head of a criminal than in judging him. He is most curious about why a thief does steal. The highlight of the film is definitely the pickpocketing sequences. The ending is a bit of a letdown, though.[/font]
  • thirdway821
    October 9, 2011
    thirdway821
    Pickpocket influenced Paul Schrader's film works "Taxi Driver", "American Gigolo", and "Light Sleeper". The story of a young man living as a lonely man pickpocketing ppls wallet for a living. He's living in guilt and a beautiful french woman seems to be his only salvation. Robert... read more Bresson known as the Christian among filmmakers makes this gentle fascinating picture.
  • littlecharmer1959
    February 24, 2009
    littlecharmer1959
    A stylish looking film. The sequences of the pickpockets at work with the quick editing was just a joy to watch.
    The musical score is beautiful, and the fact that it's used sparingly between natural sounds of a busy Paris is very effective.

    Even on the strength of one film ... read moreI can say that Bresson truly is one of the great filmmakers, I'm eagerly awaiting to discover all his other films.
  • Dracula787
    February 7, 2009
    Dracula787
    I first encountered the work of Robert Bresson through a film called Au Hasard Balthazar, a work so boring that Ingmar Bergman claims he couldn?t sit through it. I was about ready to never watch another Bresson movie again, but his 1956 film A Man Escaped managed to find it?s wa... read morey to me via round 41 of the CS film club. To my shock and amazement, it was a gripping film that was a thousand times more enjoyable than that stupid Balthazar movie. So, I was glad to have a chance to see Bresson?s 1959 follow-up Pickpocket.

    So did I like Pickpocket as much as A Man Escaped? Not so much. The two movies have definite stylistic similarities (both follow an isolated protagonist who conveys thoughts through voice over), the difference is that A Man Escaped is a thriller with an accessible story to go along with its existentialism, while Pickpocket just a bunch of existentialism. The scenes where the films protagonist is? picking pockets? are pretty interesting, but I had no investment in the guy. Overall it wasn?t very engaging, but at least it wasn?t anywhere near as boring as Au Hasard Balthazar.
  • shannylee38
    February 14, 2008
    shannylee38
    This film is very slow pace. The director's intention (in the editing) is to leave out any sense of climax or action behind and keep the content as precise as possible.
    It also has many religious connotations, for example salvation.
    There are many repetitive imagery which have... read more a great importance to the film for example, doors and hands. They are part of the main character's psychology.
    The only weak aspect of the film, i might say, would be the acting part. It might be part of the cold setting and editing, but the actors seem very stif. The other reason could be also that they are non-actors.
    Otherwise, the editing might be very strange to some but it is the original editing style of the director which is quite interesting.
  • KLFilmmaker
    December 25, 2007
    KLFilmmaker
    Influential. There's a couple good sequences in here, but I felt it to be kinda slow with no substantial plot.
  • smootysveen
    April 21, 2006
    smootysveen
    The pickpocket scenes were astonishing, but yeah, I just don't get into Bresson's style.

View All Pickpocket Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. Hoberman
October 4, 2005
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Ultimately inexplicable, this concentrated, elliptical, economical movie is an experience that never loses its strangeness. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Bresson films with a certain gravity, a directness. Full Review

Josh Larsen
February 27, 2012
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm

...the act of lifting a wallet from a man's jacket is a means to consider what the act of thievery swipes from the thief's soul. Full Review

David Nusair
February 22, 2012
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

An often interminable piece of work... Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
December 31, 2009
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

Poetic seems too weak a word to sum up Pickpocket's extraordinary arc: that it achieves so much in so short a time (75 minutes) is almost other-worldly. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
January 27, 2009
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

... sempre fascinante constatar como Bresson, com seu estilo emocionalmente seco e direto e sua insistência em performances rígidas, consegue criar personagens tão complexos e interessantes.

Emanuel Levy
July 1, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Inspired by Dostoevsky's seminal novel, Bresson's rigorous meditation on crime and redemption is a masterpiece, paying attention to the criminal and the society that created him without ever explainin... Full Review

August 28, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A wonderful study of a criminal on the road to redemption. Full Review

Michael E. Grost
August 22, 2006
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Hypnotic drama about a Parisian pickpocket. Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus
February 11, 2006
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

Bresson examines actions but offers little attention to motives, an approach that here seems to suggest that Michel's choices may be a mystery even to himself. Full Review

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Pickpocket Trivia

  • He'a a talent scout, she's a thief. It's the perfect combination. Michael J Fox turns pint-sized pickpocket Angie into the next sensation. Name the movie?  Answer »
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