The Only Living Pickpocket in New York features a gripping, perhaps career-topping, performance by John Tuturro. Writer-director Noah Segan has created a portrait of a man who has evaded all of life’s responsibilities except one, and now finds himself desperate, not for survival, but for redemption.
Tuturro plays Harry, who glides through New York City’s streets and subways in his long cashmere coat, effortlessly lifting wallets and sundry valuables from a populace to whom he is invisible. He cashes in the watches and jewelry with his longtime fence Ben (Steve Buscemi). Harry and Ben are struggling to adjust to a modern world in which nobody’s wallet contains cash and most Rolexes are worthless knock-offs. Still, Harry makes a good enough living to support himself and to pay for care of his beloved disabled wife.
Then Harry steals the wrong item from the wrong people. He embarks on a race against time to make things right. Can he save himself? Can he save anyone?
John Tuturro, so indelible in his many supporting roles, is unforgettable as Harry, a complicated man – both an outlaw who lives by a code and a deadbeat fiercely devoted to one responsibility. Harry is a thief with nerves of steel, but he knows to be terrified of the cops and organized crime. And he has mastered a pre-high tech world that is fading away. Despite his vulnerabilities, Harry is one wily character, just wily enough to give him a fighting chance.
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, She-Hulk in the Marvel Universe) blazes as Harry’s long-estranged daughter. Buscemi and the rest of the cast – Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Jamie Lee Curtis – are excellent, too. Tuturro’s and Maslany’s performances are award-worthy.
This is only the third feature for Segan, a prolific actor and protege of Rian Johnson. His Harry character is unique and there is textured depth in all of the supporting characters. There is outstanding verisimilitude in all the NYC scenes, and the pacing is thrilling.
I screened The Only Living Pickpocket in New York for the Mill Valley Film Festival where I labeled it as the under-the-radar Must See at the festival. It’s one of the Best Movies of 2026 – So Far, and its theatrical release begins this weekend.
