The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Grade: B-

When Adam Sandler appeared in Uncut Gems, I thought he resembled John Turturro. As he ages, he looks more and more like Turturro anyway. There’s a moment in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York where Turturro has to be buzzed in through a locked door of a pawn shop, and I thought for a split second, “Funny. After Uncut Gems, now he’s on the other side of it.” To complicate matters, the pawn shop is run by Steve Buscemi, who has collaborated with both Sandler and Turturro several times over the decades.

Turturro plays Harry, an aging pickpocket who has been able to “earn” a living in this manner for many years. He is very aware that the methods he is accustomed to are all but obsolete in 2026. Nobody keeps cash on them anymore. Everything is paid for with cards or phones, with verification codes sent to the owner on their other devices. Harry is also not used to trackers on these cards, let alone street traffic cameras, which is how he gets detected and winds up in over his head on his latest quest. He stole from a technologically savvy young man from a powerful family, and is in a race against the clock to return the goods.

Turturro shines as a smooth talker who becomes nervous and desperate when the tables turn on him. Giancarlo Esposito, as a detective who goes way back with Harry, is better utilized here than his previous two dismal projects this year (Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and By Any Means). Will Price (After the Hunt and the upcoming Artificial) is fun as Harry’s latest theft victim. Buscemi is quite good, as is Victoria Morales (Incoming) as his granddaughter, who becomes more involved with the plot than we originally might think. Tatiana Maslany (Keeper, The Monkey) is awesome in her one scene as a character from Harry’s past. How she fits into it isn’t the most original backstory in the world, but she makes the most out of her moments.

This is the third feature film from writer/director Noah Segen. He mostly just acts, and had the distinction of being one of only three people to appear in all the Knives Out movies so far. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a love letter to New York City. The degree to which he drives this idea home is almost excessive. He’s also going for a quiet, pensive character study, rather than a bombastic crime caper. The score is prevalent with soft piano music with lots of major 7th chords.

I am growing very tired of “surprise cameo” casting, when a very well-known actor shows up in a movie in which their appearance isn’t advertised anywhere. In many cases, there’s no reason to keep their involvement a secret, except for cheap shock value. I’ll preserve the mystery of who she’s playing, but I’ll spoil that Jamie Lee Curtis turns up near the end of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York for one scene.

Following the scene with her, I found myself simultaneously loving the last shot and wishing it wasn’t so quiet and artsy. Given what happens here, I wanted the movie to finally abandon its constantly reflective tone, and bring it home with a louder, definitive ending. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is ardent in the way it never wavers from or rises above its storytelling conceit, but what we do get is interesting enough. It helps that it’s only 88 minutes. Any longer, and it would have gotten silly.

Grade: B-