By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Dir: Noah Segan. USA, 2026): A deceptively nimble performer, John Turturro rarely gets leading roles. But when he does, the actor consistently knocks it out of the park (Barton Fink, HBO’s The Night of).

It’s no surprise Turturro shines in a movie custom-made for him. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a small miracle, a middle-low budget movie in which the visual fireworks come from old pros doing their thing (Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito).

In the film, John Turturro is Harry, an analog man in a digital world. Harry makes a living pickpocketing around New York, but the job has become increasingly difficult now that people don’t carry cash in their wallets. Outside living in the margins of society, Harry is a good dude. Cares for his infirm wife with remarkable tenderness, is best friends with the pawnbroker who buys the ill-gotten goods, and rather reminisce with his nemesis at the police department than play cat and mouse.

It’s clear Harry has been lucky for too long. His fortune comes to an end when unwittingly robs a mob-connected twentysomething and gets his hands on thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency (he has no idea he has it first, or what to do with it). As the walls close on Harry, he’s forced to take stock and upgrade.

Writer/director Noah Segan (of nearly every Rian Johnson movie) does a phenomenal job creating lived in, well rounded characters. Their interactions feel real, whether among peers or polar opposites. The intrigue itself is a bit more clunky, but is serviceable as we witness Harry right the wrongs in his life with tech-savvy mafiosos hot on his trail.

The single drawback I can think of is the limited scope of the film (Pickpocket is obsessively New Yawk). Then again, the story of a man struggling to survive in a world that has left him behind is something we all can relate to. ★★★★☆

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is now playing, everywhere.