The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

One of the most important parts of a movie is often its location, which can mean everything to a story. Think about La La Land without Los Angeles, Taxi Driver without New York, or The Bridges of Madison County without Madison County. Those movies simply wouldn’t be the same. In some films, the location serves as nothing more than a backdrop, but in others, it becomes a central character in the story. That’s certainly the case with Noah Segan’s new film, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. There is no other place a movie like this could have been made, and when you add a legend like John Turturro into the mix, they’re about to steal your admiration.

Harry (John Turturro) has found something he’s good at and managed to turn it into quite the little career. Unfortunately, that career happens to be picking pockets. But hey, when you’re good at something, why not stick with it? Harry is good at his job, and his usual routine is pretty simple: lift something from an unsuspecting mark, take it to Ben’s (Steve Buscemi) pawn shop, and collect whatever money he can get. After that, he heads home to take care of his wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave), before getting up the next morning to do it all over again.

On this particular day, though, Harry might have picked the wrong guy. His latest mark, Dylan (Will Price), is missing something that means an awful lot to him. Making matters worse, Dylan isn’t just some ordinary guy. He’s connected, and that’s exactly the kind of person a pickpocket should know better than to mess with. Needless to say, Harry has gotten himself into quite a predicament, one that even his old friend, Detective Warren (Giancarlo Esposito), might not be able to get him out of. Now the clock is ticking, and Harry must find what he took before everything he loves pays the price for his mistake.

Written and directed by Noah Segan, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is more than just a love letter to the city that never sleeps. It’s a time capsule that captures the city’s heartbeat. Pacing can be everything in a movie, and at just 88 minutes, you might expect this one to move at a breakneck speed. Instead, Segan takes a methodical, patient approach, with little to no fat on the story. He is completely in control of the storytelling, showing an impressive command of tone and emotion while delivering something that’s both fun and engaging. Better yet, he knows exactly when to reveal another piece of the puzzle, giving the audience just enough to keep them invested without ever showing his entire hand.

It’s a cliché to say they don’t make movies like The Only Living Pickpocket in New York anymore, but in this case, they really don’t. This is a soulful, street-level character story, the kind that feels increasingly rare in modern cinema. Segan never loses sight of what makes the material work, connecting the dots while paying attention to the smaller moments and subtle details that keep us invested in Harry’s journey.

While Segan provides the movie with its bones and soul, it’s Turturro and the rest of the cast who give it its heart. Turturro delivers a wonderfully layered performance and is simply superb in a role he seems born to play. As great as he is, every character has an important part in this story. Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito are terrific in their supporting roles, while Tatiana Maslany is perfectly cast, making the most of her impactful scene.

Then there’s the movie’s other star: New York City itself. Segan captures the city in a way we seldom see in modern cinema, allowing its streets, people, and personality to become as essential to the film as the characters themselves. Everything comes together beautifully, and nothing ever overstays its welcome or gets in the way of what makes this film so special. Segan delivers a wonderful combination of old-school and modern filmmaking, the kind of craftsmanship that, frankly, deserves to be studied.

Watching The Only Living Pickpocket in New York reminded me of the iconic “I Love New York” advertising campaign from the late 1970s. Not because the movie feels like an advertisement for the city, but because it left me wanting a T-shirt of my own. Only mine would read, “I Love The Only Living Pickpocket in New York”, just so I could tell everyone not to miss this absolute gem of a movie.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema