The Pickup

On duty, Russell Pierce, Eddie Murphy — a veteran armored car driver nearing retirement — is paired for the first time with Travis Stolly, a rookie who dreams of becoming a police officer, played by Pete Davidson. The two men come from different ends of the spectrum, but they share a stubborn commitment to doing the job right as they roll out for a routine route that soon spirals into something far more dangerous.

Their quiet shift is shattered when a professional crime group led by the enigmatic Zoe, Keke Palmer, ambushes them along with two strong-arming cohorts, Banner and Miguel, portrayed by Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Cordova. Outgunned and outmaneuvered, Russell tries to parley for their lives by surrendering the money from the truck, only to discover the cargo is stuffed with contraband. In the ensuing chaos, Banner and Miguel’s car careens after Russell hurls the dye-packed cash at them, while Zoe seizes control of the armored vehicle. Amid the confusion, Travis recognizes Zoe and recalls their one-night stand the previous evening, a night marked by Zoe getting him drunk and sharing intimate details about his work and schedule.

Zoe’s plan isn’t a simple heist of cash or contraband. She reveals that she intends to steal the armored vehicle itself to execute a larger, more meticulously staged crime: to pull off a $60 million cash pickup from a casino. Banner and Miguel survive the wreck, but their loyalty to Zoe fractures as she abandons them in the dust of the chase. The pair press on in pursuit, while Travis, despite feeling used by Zoe, cannot fully shake lingering feelings for her.

Amid the pursuit, Zoe opens up to Travis and Russell with a stark backstory. Years earlier, a catastrophic casino fire triggered a lockdown that trapped workers inside. Zoe’s father, a casino security guard, sacrificed himself to hold a heavy door and buy others time to escape. The casino’s management never compensated the family for the security system’s failure, and that omission fuels Zoe’s resolve for revenge. As the trio nears the casino’s vault, Russell’s wife Natalie, played by Eva Longoria, tracks him by mobile signal and is taken hostage, forced into a car with Travis.

When they reach the vault, a tense moment is joined by a deception involving a photo of a WWE wrestler; Zoe exploits the moment to distract their rivals and slip away with the cash. They succeed in pulling out a staggering $60 million, and the casino manager, recognizing Zoe’s history with her father’s predicament, offers a remorseful acknowledgment of the higher-ups’ failure to compensate. The moment of triumph is short-lived, as Banner and Miguel ambush them again. Banner takes Natalie hostage while Zoe drives off with the money, and Russell and Travis unexpectedly collide with Miguel in a violent, chaotic end to the pursuit.

A large police force closes in as the casino’s money becomes the focal point of a televised manhunt. Clark, the boss played by Andrew Dice Clay, phones in with complaints about late delivery, only to discover that the chase is unfolding on live TV; amid the tension, Travis flips him off in a bold, irreverent beat that underscores the chaotic farce of the night.

The climactic moments unfold at a small airstrip where the armored car catches fire and explodes amid the final gunfire. Banner fires on the trio, but Natalie’s intervention helps knock him unconscious, allowing Russell to reunite with his wife. Zoe, choosing to walk away, says goodbye to Travis and escapes in a prepped small plane. In the aftermath, the police determine that Russell and Travis acted under duress, and they are not held liable for the events; the law views them as having been forced into the robbery at gunpoint.

Six months pass and the endings begin to solidify. Travis ascends to the position of deputy sheriff and maintains a complicated, if strained, connection with Zoe, who now enjoys a life of luxury in Bali. Russell, retired from the road, runs a bed and breakfast with Natalie by his side. In a final, quiet touch, he receives a box of money from Travis and Zoe, signaling that the money’s legacy continues to ripple through their lives.

In the mid-credits scene, a museum curator calls the armored car company about a damaged capuchin monkey, but Clark’s angry reply insists that the animal must have already been damaged before the transport, a small echo of the night’s chaos that lingers long after the dust has settled.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 01:47