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Pickpocket
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Pickpocket
1959
Drama, Crime
1h 16m
Michel takes up picking pockets as a hobby, and is arrested almost immediately, giving him the chance to reflect on the morality of crime... (imdb)
Directed by:
Robert BressonScreenwriter:
Robert BressonPickpocket
1959
Drama, Crime
1h 16m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 68.32% from 1660 total ratings
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Rated 19 Jun 2011
65
26th
Use some of that money you stole to buy a suit that fits, bro.
Rated 19 Jun 2011
Rated 10 Feb 2007
38
24th
Again Bresson makes a film told in the form of a diary. I didn't like it the first time (Diary of a Country Priest) and I don't like it here either. Watching Michel steal from people for most of the film is boring, and the scarce plot elements are crude and weak. It doesn't help that the main actor is horrendous, either (not because of the mandatory underacting, he's just really bad). Pickpocket is my least favorite Bresson movie.
Rated 10 Feb 2007
Rated 09 Jun 2020
79
67th
The austere presentation has the appeal of simple beauty and allows for a sort of meta pickpocketing - by sterilizing performances until they betray no inner self the characters sneakily take on only what the viewer brings to the table. Unfortunately it also leaves everything dry and flat as a baseline without much plot or writing to carry you through it. It feels like a skeleton of a movie, scoring it is kind of mood-dependent.
Rated 09 Jun 2020
Rated 26 Feb 2011
100
85th
1 Shaqtacular
Rated 26 Feb 2011
Rated 21 May 2009
80
94th
The third and last movie of Bresson's best decade, before he went round the bend with _Joan of Arc_. (Not that it is impossible to titter in the wrong places at this one, too.) The details of training for, and plying, the pickpocket's trade are fascinating, and would have remained so without the peppy musical accompaniment by Jean-Baptiste Lully. And the Nietzschean self-rationalizations of the self-important hero generate some of the most interesting dialogue in any Bresson movie ever.
Rated 21 May 2009
Rated 28 Apr 2009
11
99th
The movie that made me go into a life of pickpocketing crime.
Rated 28 Apr 2009
Rated 23 Jul 2008
5
91st
Pickpocket isn't a movie that thrusts its greatness upon you, but with a second viewing, it really knocked me out. It strikes me now as more or less a perfect film. Bresson's pure style of filmmaking is incredibly compelling, and the material here is fascinating. I loved the blend of philosophical discussion and understated suspense and action. It's especially enjoyable to watch the pickpocketing sequences themselves, which are amazingly choreographed and impressive.
Rated 23 Jul 2008
Rated 13 May 2008
70
57th
Bresson seem unfathomably resolute as always. Despondent and beautiful at the very same time. The caring and curious camera signifies moods and motivations... Discerning and modestly vigorous, absolutely, but ultimately lacking the impact of the latter-mentioned. Still: It's at times completely arresting.
Rated 13 May 2008
Rated 07 Aug 2014
85
97th
Bresson's definitive existentialist take on a career criminal isn't preachy but nonetheless has strong moral implications. Michel's Nietzchean-like rationalisations do nothing to alleviate his suffering and isolation but only serve to heighten his sense of estrangement from the world and his fellow man. The pickpocket scenes are tense and elegantly constructed with a deft sleight of hand, and the use of music feels almost revelatory in its emotional power.
Rated 07 Aug 2014
Rated 10 Sep 2012
40
24th
The pickpocket scenes are great but very tiresome in the long haul. The boring storyline and the slow pace doesn't help either. Had a PSI on 93 on this one. The system is wrong! People needs to stop calling it a masterpiece since its not...
Rated 10 Sep 2012
Rated 21 Mar 2011
70
43rd
Probably the worst leading actor of history.
Rated 21 Mar 2011
Rated 03 Nov 2010
80
86th
Bresson has a style all of his own. I am in awe of the way he tells stories: briskly, carefully leaving out the scenes he doesn't need. I'm sure many find the fact that the epilogue breaks with the emotional detachment that pervades the film inspired. For me, it didn't work. The pickpocketing scenes, on the other hand, were breathtaking.
Rated 03 Nov 2010
Rated 12 Oct 2009
10
97th
You'll get accustomed to Bresson's style after sitting through his early films. Just like in A Man Escaped, you're dealing with society's misfits, emotionally reserved yet always a step ahead of the rest. I definitely sympathized with Michel as he reflects upon his own life and walked away satisfied. Bresson's films are very compelling, meticulously calculated without feeling ostentatious. You owe it to yourself to see his early work.
Rated 12 Oct 2009
Rated 04 Oct 2008
9
88th
Bresson is a sort of photographer/director. He creates shots which are almost static, but arranges them in a rhythmical sequence. The artificiality in the acting irritates a bit. Bresson considered his actors models, just as a photographer would. I still prefer movies with real actors, but this film will fascinate you photographically, with odd acting that can irritate or be naively charming. It's like Persona with bad actors. It has a very fast and cinematically fulfilling pickpocketing scene.
Rated 04 Oct 2008
Rated 04 Feb 2008
89
92nd
I should be criticizing the mediocre acting and the stupid storytelling devices, but I can't help but love this film. The entire thing is so well put together, and despite his acting being terrible at times LaSalle really creates a complex and interesting character. Bresson just has a simple story to work with but he fills it with depth and meaning and manages to make you truly exmine how you feel about his characters.
Rated 04 Feb 2008
Rated 15 Feb 2024
72
62nd
I'm awful at most things, but I think I would be great at pickpocketing. Not that I would do it... but maybe. No, I kid... but maybe. Not really of course... but maybe. I would never... but I could... (I took your wallet while you were reading this)
Rated 15 Feb 2024
Rated 06 May 2020
75
59th
There are glimpses of the distant, philosophical approach that Bresson went on to develop in films like L'Argent and Balthazar. This is less ambitious in its thesis, and is more of a traditional character study. It does have a pretty sweet taboo ending that recalls the end of Phantom Thread. Worthwhile either way thanks to its brevity and awesome pickpocketing scenes.
Rated 06 May 2020
Rated 06 Jul 2018
55
8th
Not too long into this, my wife declared Bresson her least favorite French director. I'm inclined to agree. The 2nd out of 3 of his films we haven't even been able to finish.
Rated 06 Jul 2018
Rated 02 May 2016
63
42nd
The direction and editing are extremely thoughtful and meticulous, and definitely different than what you're used to seeing. The problem for me is that I couldn't figure out why Bresson was doing the things he was doing, and it didn't seem to have much of an effect on me. In particular, the ending seemed completely unearned. I fear that this is a masterpiece that I'm too dense to "get."
Rated 02 May 2016
Rated 03 Oct 2012
82
86th
Coldly stylish, and boasting some amazingly choreographed sequences, Bresson's careful manipulation kept the film clear and resonant on its simple character study. The philosophical/personal aspects were rather hollow and unsatisfying, but the technical grace was nevertheless amazing. Engaging, entertaining and elegantly crafted.
Rated 03 Oct 2012
Rated 13 Jan 2011
74
54th
The pickpocketing sequences themselves are by far the best parts of the film. Unfortunately Bresson's insistence on bare-bones, no frills acting did not appeal to me at all. The man does what he sets out to do perfectly, but the end result is not really my cup of tea. I do have to say that despite the lukewarm feeling that I had after watching it, the film is constructed brilliantly and I definitely understand why other people love it so much.
Rated 13 Jan 2011
Rated 10 Jan 2011
90
88th
At first, the mannequin acting dampened the presence of the characters, but at some point LaSalle's eyes flitted back up from the floor for the umpteenth time and shot right through the screen, and I was hooked. An absolutely literal film.
Rated 10 Jan 2011
Rated 24 Sep 2009
63
60th
i loved the non-acting and the literary themes. the romantic side just didn't convince me though
Rated 24 Sep 2009
Rated 10 Nov 2008
90
89th
Pickpocket is a wonderfully directed film, and a bit ahead of its time, I really enjoyed it, and it clocks in at just the right length. Bresson is just fantastic, how he captures the struggles of human beings is absolutely brilliant. Bresson gets simple stories, and normal people, and makes some of the most heartbreaking and real films ever, much like Vitorrio de Sica. Although it is quite dull at times, Pickpocket is short, and is worth a watch. Great!
Rated 10 Nov 2008
Rated 04 Nov 2008
75
90th
I finally realized why Bresson goes for emotional blank screen effect. I was used to think it was his and other neorealists stance towards life. That's half the truth, this effect is also a very powerful cinematic tool. It cuts of the noise in the movie leaving just what Bresson finds necessary for his storytelling. Still it's far too mechanical for me to enjoy outside of intellectual realm.As for Bresson-Dostoyevsky comparison I find farfetched, Dostoyevsky uses endless psychological discourse.
Rated 04 Nov 2008
Rated 14 Jul 2008
7
68th
Terrible acting is really all I can complain about from this film. I mean you can't help but love how this is put together and if you hate it for some reason at least its only 75 minutes long so shut up and see it.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
Rated 04 May 2008
5
81st
I admire the hell out of Bresson for having the balls and ingenuity to craft this.
Rated 04 May 2008
Rated 01 Mar 2008
97
95th
# 70
Rated 01 Mar 2008
Rated 19 Feb 2024
60
39th
I appreciate the thoughtfully measured economy of storytelling and images. As with other works from Bresson, it only solicited so much of my attention, and otherwise I find them rather dreary.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
Rated 19 Jul 2023
75
60th
Bresson's stoic, pragmatic minimalism does not always gel with my preference of cinema that is messy yet alive in its curiousity of how to push against the frame, but there's no denying the refinement. Two Bressons in and I am taken by how he films hands, as if they operate independently, as they transfer physical gains and emotional losses, the closeups like magic tricks but no smirk on the magician, as with L'argent the chains that link impulsions of greed, strengthened with each passing hand.
Rated 19 Jul 2023
Rated 25 Dec 2022
65
66th
Elegant and sparse. Sadly the protagonist is a rather annoying person I didn’t care about at all.
Rated 25 Dec 2022
Rated 09 Nov 2022
50
7th
Maybe I would have liked it more if this had been my first Bresson movie, but I'm really getting tired of his whole style.
Rated 09 Nov 2022
Rated 01 Nov 2022
89
91st
It’s funny how Bresson is such a down-to-earth filmmaker and yet when I try and put my finger on exactly why I love his films so much it feels intangible. That being said this is incredible
Rated 01 Nov 2022
Rated 04 Jul 2022
70
41st
Like many Bressons for me. It's undeniably good, but Bresson's style often just leaves me cold and it often makes it difficult for me to get emotionally invested in his films. He seems to like his actors to be fairly emotionless, and it just doesn't work well for me. His films often strike me more as feeling like solid documentaries than narrative features. The pickpocketing scenes are good, and the film on a whole is good, but very much in the like but don't love category for me.
Rated 04 Jul 2022
Rated 13 Nov 2020
5
43rd
Technically impressive but I feel like the film never properly hooked me. Still worth a watch 5/7
Rated 13 Nov 2020
Rated 24 Jan 2020
76
76th
Very interesting. Gotta rewatch
Rated 24 Jan 2020
Rated 19 Jan 2020
80
81st
Very educational. The pickpocketing scenes are watching a master at work in more ways than one
Rated 19 Jan 2020
Rated 10 Jul 2019
70
47th
Finally, my first Bresson. I love the way he shoots and directs hands.
Rated 10 Jul 2019
Rated 26 May 2019
95
87th
Bresson's weird insistance on non-acting is in full non-force once again. I think the effectiveness of the style is in the fact that by being so understated it demands more attention, not less, to adequately understand what's going on.
Rated 26 May 2019
Rated 14 Mar 2019
88
58th
87.50
Rated 14 Mar 2019
Rated 22 Sep 2018
86
91st
Although I appreciate the Nietzschean and existentialist interpretations, I took Pickpocket as a subtle yet strong indictment of class society. As usual, Bresson gives very little context, but we feel that Michel and Jeanne, being from poor families, are both struggling to survive and adopt different solutions: the legal passive one and the illegal one. This allows Bresson to subtly question the notion of legality, of wealth inequality and what the proles can do.
Rated 22 Sep 2018
Rated 11 May 2018
65
63rd
A well made movie that's at parts interesting and very dry. I'm not a fan or the wooden, emotionless non acting.
Rated 11 May 2018
Rated 03 Aug 2017
85
87th
This is a marvel of stripped-back filmmaking. Bresson's comprehensive minimalism establishes an unsympathetic, unsentimental tone which perfectly harmonises with the moral indifference of an emotionless protagonist, and renders its visual flourishes - some mesmerising pickpocketing scenes and a beautifully poignant ending - all the more splendid to behold.
Rated 03 Aug 2017
Rated 22 Jun 2017
60
34th
The various pickpocketing scenes are incredibly tense and intense, despite (or probably because of) the lack of excitement in the film's style. I'm not sure I got much from this on a substantive level (does it really try to say anything?), but I definitely enjoyed this as a stylistic powerhouse.
Rated 22 Jun 2017
Rated 09 Apr 2017
70
41st
I think I appreciate it more than I like it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but the importance here is in the technical aspects. The camera work, cinematography, direction is all on point, and the pickpocketing scenes are fun (especially the one in the train). But the acting zapped any of the emotion out of it for me. Though I have limited experience with Bresson as of this, I understand his emphasis on miminalism. It's just... they're basically trees.
Rated 09 Apr 2017
Rated 26 Feb 2017
2
13th
Min tredje Bresson-film och ack vilken besvikelse! Marika Green är väldigt snygg, men ingen av skådespelarna imponerar. När en berättarröst ständigt behövs för att förklara vad vi ser är det också ett underbetyg åt manusförfattare och regissör. Sist men inte minst har jag så tråkigt att jag har svårt att hålla mig vaken, trots att filmen bara är 78 minuter lång. Snyggt foto räddar dock tvåan.
Rated 26 Feb 2017
Rated 16 Feb 2017
82
83rd
Somewhat dissapointed. Not enough intrigue even though the camerawork is on point. The minimalism in acting looks rigid and unnatural. Story was well treated by Bresson and the short running-time was fitting.
Rated 16 Feb 2017
Rated 24 Nov 2016
43
8th
A very uneven film. The wooden acting made it really hard to take this film seriously, as with the very boring story with some characters that are very hard to like. Pickpocketing scenes hold up - but when it's not a pickpocket scene, I was checking the time for it to be over with. It feels like the story just floated around until stuff happened. The antagonist for this film is lackluster, the supporting characters barely exist. And that scene with the mother is just laughable.
Rated 24 Nov 2016
Rated 03 Apr 2016
60
38th
Some nicely choreographed pick-pocketing scenes but the acting is unbelievably wooden and the ending is laughable.
Rated 03 Apr 2016
Rated 28 Feb 2016
17
93rd
Star Rating: ★★★★1/2
Rated 28 Feb 2016
Rated 22 Sep 2015
60
33rd
I'm sure I'm the only person who didn't think this aged fantastically, but hey... The ending is cool, and those pickpocket scenes are wonderful.
Rated 22 Sep 2015
Rated 30 Aug 2015
70
90th
I can easily imagine a contemporary filmmaker showing the titular pickpocket learning the craft, w/ the aid of obnoxious visual devices [freeze-frames, non-diegetic diagrams, shit you'd see from W. Anderson, LvT and such]. RB of course has no interest in such discursive, flowery crap, and the film is dry-as-bone as per usual. A sizable %age consists of stark, rich formalistic hypnotism, but the plot lacks the driving narrative focus of AME. C&P has never been my favorite Dosty either.
Rated 30 Aug 2015
Rated 03 Aug 2014
84
87th
bir kol saatinin çalışma mekanizmasını izlemek gibi, kesinlikle etkileyici bir yan var ama genel itibariyle sadece mekanik.
Rated 03 Aug 2014
Rated 15 Jun 2014
7
92nd
i've been waiting for another bresson film with the precise and methodical aesthetic of 'a man escaped', and this is it. he is best with these extremely simple and linear narratives, and his black-and-white photography is stark and beautiful. textually, i can only think of the faux-übermensch ethics of hitchcock's 'rope'; the comparison is laughable.
Rated 15 Jun 2014
Rated 23 Oct 2013
94
97th
The fact that Michel has to go to jail in order to finally find out he's been in love with the girl who took care of his mom doesn't make this any lighter. This is both a social examination of loners -- and what drives them -- and a purely visual character study stripped down to the minimum in terms of dramatic depth. He barely has a past, his door barely has a lock -- in fact, he barely has a home --, and his two friends are just partners. Confident as the best literary short stories.
Rated 23 Oct 2013
Rated 08 Aug 2013
85
59th
Viewed August 7, 2013. A somber look into the life of the titular criminal, whose crime is compulsive and quietly elegant. Economic and smooth, Pickpocket is a film of great visual simplicity, but rather empty emotionally.
Rated 08 Aug 2013
Rated 28 Jul 2013
85
77th
28 Temmuz 2013 & Ah Jeanne, sana ulasmak icin oyle tuhaf yollardan gecmem gerekti ki!
Rated 28 Jul 2013
Rated 01 Jun 2013
86
84th
A simple and straight-forward film that thrives on its modesty, especially the reserved performances and the brilliantly minimalist narration. Bresson sure can get a lot out of not so much -- the two track-race scenes are particularly quietly tense. The opening statement and ending make this film seem quite self-reflexive, you can almost see the gears working as the film plays.
Rated 01 Jun 2013
Rated 20 Apr 2013
45
15th
People tell me I need to get used to Bressons style. Well he's really not making it easy for me.
Rated 20 Apr 2013
Rated 22 Mar 2013
88
87th
It's funny, the acting in this film is what I would call stilted, yet it seems somehow appropriate to the style of the movie. The whole film has a very direct, intimate quality. The camera never flinches away from the main character's emotionless expression and wooden stature. I like that it felt like a very real psychological study of the mind of an arrogant thief. The best parts are getting to see the thieves in action and witnessing the unspoken rush they get from pulling it off.
Rated 22 Mar 2013
Rated 07 Feb 2013
74
48th
There are some interesting pickpocket scenes, which I could have honestly watched that stuff for the entire duration, but most of the story is stuff that I could have done without. Bresson's always been about intricate detail of action, but it seems like he forgets the story along the way.
Rated 07 Feb 2013
Rated 27 Aug 2012
84
91st
Basically Crime and punishment but with a french pickpocket. What is mind blowing is how a movie can be so good with such bad acting. I have seen sticks on the road with better range than the star in this.
Rated 27 Aug 2012
Rated 17 Aug 2012
50
35th
Not bad.
Rated 17 Aug 2012
Rated 25 Apr 2012
65
35th
major disappointment. only reason I watched this was because of tarkovskys love for Bresson. bad acting and completely uninteresting plot. funny fact: jeanne is an exact copy of natalie portman.
Rated 25 Apr 2012
Rated 18 Apr 2012
99
99th
A riff on Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Bresson revealing the ending in the opening text offers a sense determinism to the proceedings, underlining Michel's feeling of limited choices for living. The film captures the surfaces of Michel's life of crime, and yet, it reveals something about the presence of grace in the world, even as this man careens toward prison. Almost the converse of A Man Escaped, but with the same result for both protagonists: freedom.
Rated 18 Apr 2012
Rated 15 Apr 2012
50
27th
The pick-pocketing scenes were unique, but other than that it was too empty.
Rated 15 Apr 2012
Rated 09 Mar 2012
88
91st
A stripped down, methodical style forces you to explore the subtle moments, and Bresson crafts his subtleties with care, furthering cinema's evolution away from theater. It's not all just that though - a classic story told simply, with wonderful pickpocketing scenes that are alternatively tense and ingenious rounds out the emotional side. It might take getting used to for some, but I was quickly hooked.
Rated 09 Mar 2012
Rated 02 Jan 2012
80
45th
Couldn't find much sympathy with any of this. I'm sure I need to be in a more receptive mood for this style of filmmaking.
Rated 02 Jan 2012
Rated 30 Nov 2011
96
92nd
#88
Rated 30 Nov 2011
Rated 20 Nov 2011
82
18th
The acting is so understated, try as hard as I could, I did not get involved.
Rated 20 Nov 2011
Rated 15 Sep 2011
50
12th
yankesicilik, cepcilik, hirsizlik (bir yankesicinin hikayesini aktariyor. onun disinda filmde hic bir sey yok)
Rated 15 Sep 2011
Rated 06 Feb 2011
76
72nd
Good directing and the pickpocket train scene is really well done
Rated 06 Feb 2011
Rated 05 Feb 2011
80
91st
Bresson is just a fantastic filmmaker; he doesn't waste a single scene. We are given a glimpse of Michel, disaffected, meekly succumbing to a state of nihilistic confusion. He is in limbo and knows what will pull him out of it, but he's a bit of a floundering bitch, so he turns to petty thuggery to try to ignite his spirit. As it goes with Bresson, this just makes the ending even more melancholic. Wrenching stuff. The pickpocketing sequence on the train is damn incredible as well.
Rated 05 Feb 2011
Rated 17 Oct 2010
40
97th
"Every image in Pickpocket evokes the director's idea of the soul in transition." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 17 Oct 2010
Rated 01 Jul 2010
4
74th
Confessional of an outcast, bearing strong and obvious debt to Dostoevsky. Bresson's form - a matter-of-fact, ascetic minimalism - is always functional. In this case a composed sleight of hand which belies the anxiety of Michel's inner monologue.
Rated 01 Jul 2010
Rated 10 Mar 2010
4
83rd
The actual pocket-picking sequences are incredibly well-filmed. Beautiful and understated.
Rated 10 Mar 2010
Rated 13 Jan 2010
96
92nd
81
Rated 13 Jan 2010
Rated 22 Dec 2009
45
41st
Oddly, this impressed me less than other Bresson for some reason. Too much narration and other overly literary flourishes perhaps?
Rated 22 Dec 2009
Rated 15 Sep 2009
86
92nd
Emotional and brilliant. Classic Bresson.
Rated 15 Sep 2009
Rated 29 Dec 2008
91
92nd
Acting is poor but the overall effect is mind-blowing.
Rated 29 Dec 2008
Rated 19 Dec 2008
96
92nd
80
Rated 19 Dec 2008
Rated 01 Oct 2008
99
95th
(Tears run down face)
Wow, just....incredible.
Rated 01 Oct 2008
Rated 15 Jun 2008
88
73rd
Michel Românovitch Raskolnikov?
Rated 15 Jun 2008
Rated 05 May 2008
85
60th
Due for a rewatch.
Rated 05 May 2008
Rated 16 Mar 2008
86
60th
I thought it was very uneven, but I think I need to rewatch it with different expectations.
Rated 16 Mar 2008
Rated 14 Aug 2007
88
97th
Rewatching this in 2022 after decades, what stands out, apart from hands and feet, are two things: 1) the main theme, which is that some people have no choice but to take a very circuitous route to arrive at a point that to others seems like a simple little journey; 2) that feeling when you sense you are about to be caught, and can even see who it is who will catch you, but for some reason you continue with the activity that you know is about to turn into a catastrophe (a feeling I recall well).
Rated 14 Aug 2007
Rated 17 Apr 2007
93
94th
# 70
Rated 17 Apr 2007
Rated 31 Mar 2007
19
9th
A film so poorly received by myself, that since its viewing, moreover than the titular word, but rather, each letter has become -- in addition to a consonance or a vowel -- an adjective to describe, in short, the ever present aroma of putrefaction. In closing, the cinematography was 'o', the direction 'p' and the acting, more than anything else, 'ick'.
Rated 31 Mar 2007
Rated 27 Jan 2007
85
84th
I don't like it quite as much as the earlier A Man Escaped, which it resembles in many ways: much of the action takes place in a small barren room, the attention to methodical detail, the internal monologue. The Dostoyevsky influence is apparent.
Rated 27 Jan 2007
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Directed by:
Robert BressonScreenwriter:
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