Aayush Sharma
In Prime Video‘s action comedy film ‘The Pickup,’ two armored truck drivers, Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson), find themselves in a precarious situation when a group of criminals ambushes their vehicle. The story, written by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, primarily focuses on the security personnel getting paired for the first time. Russell wants to go home on time and spend his 25th anniversary with his wife, while Travis wants to make his family proud by proving his worth as a guard, in lieu of becoming a police officer. However, things get problematic for both of them when they have to avoid disastrous circumstances, especially after an armed robber named Zoe (Keke Palmer) crosses their path and drags them into a spiral of tough choices. What starts as a regular day for Russell and Travis quickly unravels into chaos, as Zoe’s sudden appearance turns their routine delivery into a high-stakes survival game. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Pickup Plot Synopsis
The movie begins with Travis, a guard working for the Guardian Armored Transport Services, trying to complete his routine work at the First Atlantic Bank. While doing his job, Travis is asked by a woman named Zoe for a pen to write something. A few moments later, Zoe hands him a note and asks him to read it. The guard reads the situation wrong and tells the woman to put her hands in the air while pointing the gun at her. However, she doesn’t let the condition worsen, asking the armed guard to read the note. It turns out that the girl just gave him her number, wanting to get to know him better. As a result, they both go out on a date and spend the night together, but Zoe is nowhere to be seen when he wakes up. On the other hand, Russell wishes his wife, Natalie (Eva Longoria), on their 25th wedding anniversary and tells her they will celebrate it by having dinner somewhere before leaving for work.
Russell reaches the Guardian headquarters and gets shocking news that he will be on a dangerous route that might make him late for dinner. Furthermore, he realizes he is driving with a newbie named Travis for the pickup. As soon as they meet each other, Travis reveals he is a big fan of Russell, and it’s an honor for him to work with him. However, the veteran is not thrilled to join the other man in this ride-along and wants to complete the pickups to celebrate the wedding anniversary with Natalie. They begin their journey by going through multiple pickup locations, while Travis continues to bug Russell through his talks. The situation becomes a bit serious when they enter the Dead Zone, and a couple of cars follow the truck. The cars surround the armored vehicle as they try to control it and take the money inside it. Initially, Russell does everything and anything to save themselves and the money from the hands of the three robbers. Even so, one of them manages to come inside the truck.
The robber takes them to an undisclosed location and ties them up, while finally showing the face behind the helmet. It turns out that the robber is none other than Zoe, who previously went out on a date with Travis. Travis is instantly uncomfortable following the reveal, but what Zoe says afterwards makes him feel even worse. The robber tells the duo they ended up hurting their partners-in-crime on the road. As a result, now they will have to help her rob $60 million from a casino named Sorrento. Although they don’t want to be a part of the crime, Travis gives in because he doesn’t want Russell to know that he spent a night with her. Moreover, Zoe threatens Russell not to do anything stupid, and if he does, she will kill his wife. Ultimately, the trio gets together to accomplish the heist, which is not just a crime for Zoe but a deeply personal mission tied to her past.
The Pickup Ending: How and Why Did Zoe Plan the Heist?
When Russell and Travis begin their journey, they stop at different pickup points before entering the Dead Zone. While they do this, Zoe meets two of his crime partners, Miguel (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and Banner (Jack Kesy), and tells them they must take control of an armored vehicle. Moreover, she makes it clear that they need to have this vehicle so that they can rob $60 million from a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, their only chance to steal the armored vehicle comes when it enters the so-called Dead Zone, where the drivers of that armored truck won’t be able to contact anyone. As soon as the truck drivers enter the zone, they are surrounded by two vehicles as Zoe and her partners try to take control of the vehicle. Russell uses his presence of mind to get away from the robbers. But they couldn’t go far away because one of the robbers managed to puncture the tire of the truck.
They are soon found by Zoe and her partners, who continue to put pressure on Russell and Travis. Although the duo manages to put two robbers down, Zoe takes control of the situation and brings them to an abandoned warehouse where she reveals her identity. Travis is shocked to learn that it was she behind the helmet. They both went on a date together, and Travis shared everything about his job with her, including the path of the day’s pickup. That’s why she knows the truck’s location and stitches a plan to commit the crime. With her colleagues gone, she now wants the guards’ help to complete the heist. Russell doesn’t want to participate, but Travis says yes to her plan. First, Zoe reaches out to one of her men to repair the truck and change its number from 1426 to 1530. While the truck is getting repaired, Russell tries to escape the situation by taking her weapon. He attacks Zoe from behind after taking a meal at the diner, and Travis takes hold of the gun. However, Travis, who seems madly in love with the robber, gives the gun back to her, making Russell realize that he knows who she is.
They continue their journey, and it is revealed that Banner and Miguel are not dead, so they kill the person who repaired the truck for Zoe. As she, Russell, and Travis reach Atlantic City, the real robber tries to make them realize that this is not about the money. She reveals that her father used to work in the security department at Sorrento for 17 years. One day, there was a fire in one of the restaurants, and when there’s a fire at the casino, it triggers the vault’s safe and automatically closes to save the money. In turn, the security guards there would have been trapped, and they would have died in minutes because of the lack of oxygen. Her father saved everyone, but couldn’t get out in time and died. Instead of paying his workers’ compensation and benefits, the casino said he would have been out of harm’s way if he hadn’t gone to save the other guys. At the time, money was more important to the casino than her father’s life. Thus, now, money is more important to her than anything else.
Ultimately, Zoe, Travis, and Russell infiltrate the casino and take the money away before the real 1530 armored vehicle enters the casino. They get out and reach a warehouse where everything would end. That’s when Banner and Miguel make an entrance, threatening to kill them and take the money away. Eventually, they fail to do that, and Banner and Miguel die for real. Zoe’s backstory to the narrative adds a deeply emotional layer to the heist, transforming it from a simple act of crime into a form of justice rooted in betrayal and loss. Her suffering gives weight to every decision she makes, and suddenly, the heist isn’t just a crime, it’s retribution. This perspective allows viewers to see the human cost behind the greed of these big companies, making Zoe’s motivations relatable and hard to ignore.
Do Zoe and Travis End Up Together?
Apart from the heist, ‘The Pickup’s’ narrative also focuses on the relationship between Zoe and Travis. After all, the story begins with the duo’s date, and their date serves as a catalyst for everything that follows. In the aftermath of the chaos at the bank, the duo goes out on a date. Travis hadn’t imagined someone might ask him out in such a manner. Although he is having a good time with her, the restaurant is about to close, and their date will be cut short. However, Zoe doesn’t let that happen, and they continue to spend the night together. In the morning, Travis tells his colleagues how he got laid and feels elated. A few moments later, Russell and Travis begin their day by visiting several pickup points before entering the Dead Zone. They encounter the criminals, and Travis learns that Zoe is behind everything. He gets a flashback of everything he shared with Zoe, including the route and the amount of time they will spend in the Dead Zone.
As the story continues, it becomes clear that Travis loves Zoe and wants to be with her. However, Zoe is focused on the heist and is ready to do anything for it. Russell’s wife, Natalie, calls her husband, and he tells her they might be unable to go for dinner. As the call disconnects, Zoe tells her that she’ll kill his wife if something happens to her. When they reach Atlantic City, Zoe tells the story of her father, and Travis becomes more interested in her. Now, even Zoe is interested in him, but she knows what she needs to do. As they start heading towards the Sorrento Casino, Russell’s wife, Natalie, reaches their location after tracking Russell’s GPS location.
Consequently, Natalie becomes a hostage as Russell and Zoe go inside the casino for the heist. The duo completes the heist and reaches their armored vehicle before heading out of the casino. They reach the abandoned warehouse where they meet Banner and Miguel, who want to kill them and take the money away. To make things worse, Banner kidnaps Natalie, while Zoe, Russell, and Travis follow him. Consequently, the news of the heist has spread, and the police are following the armored truck #1530. In a high-stakes chase sequence, Banner comes out on top, pins them down, and refuses to let them go alive. However, Natalie attacks Banner by hitting him with a rifle on the back of his head. In the end, Zoe gives Travis her real number before fleeing from the scene. After the authorities arrive, he eats the paper before anyone can see it.
Eventually, it takes Travis six months to finally get in touch with Zoe. He finally enters the police department, but he leaves it to meet Zoe. In the movie’s final moments, Russell and Natalie are working in their newly opened Bread & Breakfast, while Russell receives a package. As soon as he opens it, he sees that the box is filled with cash and a note from Zoe and Travis. Bringing Zoe and Travis together in the end brings the story full circle, tying their chaotic first date to a future shaped by loyalty and understanding. Their journey starts together with a lie, but soon, it becomes something genuine. It not only takes the story forward, but it also adds emotional depth to the film, showing how people can find love in hopeless places. In the end, their connection allows viewers to have a glimmer of warmth amid all the madness.
Read More: Where Was The Pickup Filmed? All Shooting Locations
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