‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ Review: John Turturro Steals Your Heart in Classy Little Caper
Brooklyn-born actor John Turturro doesn’t get the flowers he deserves. He’s the kind of old-school New York (with a capital YAWHK) that captures a classy, smarmy, yet charming manner reminiscent of the city he’s from. Writer/director Noah “Rian Johnson’s bestie” Segan must’ve been on a Turturro binge and penned an entire vehicle around him. In The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, Segan writes a love letter to his lead star and his city, capturing the laid-back style of classic ‘90s NYC films that have been rendered outdated, about a pickpocket out of touch, conflicting with the city’s never-ending evolution.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
MPA Rating: R (for language.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes (88 minutes)
Language: English
Production Companies: MRC, T-Street
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Noah Segan
Screenwriter: Noah Segan
Cast: John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, Jamie Lee Curtis, Karina Arroyave
U.S Release Date: October 23, 2026 (NY & LA), October 30, 2026 (Nationwide)
Harry Lehman (John Turturro) is such an old-school pickpocket that he doesn’t carry technology. He can never get tracked… but he also doesn’t understand it. Every day he snatches from the classiest people on trains, takes the loot to his friend Ben’s (Steve Buscemi) pawn shop, and returns to his disabled wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave). He uses his winnings to pay the people nursing her or his neighbor for putting up with the loud music playing her favorite tunes to comfort her. It’s a token of his appreciation. These days, fewer people carry cash, yet he persists, insisting on pickpocketing like it’s his 9-to-5. One night he steals from Dylan (Will Price), the spoiled heir of a powerful mob family. Dylan eventually finds Harry and demands he find and return the USB drive he stole. Racing against time, Harry runs all around NYC to get the drive back before Dylan pulls Rosie’s plug.
The Only Living Pickpocket makes the NYC feel like a playground again.
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO as Detective Warren, JOHN TURTURRO as Harry Lehman in ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ Image: Jon Pack. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Segan’s direction captures a classic caper feel, framing the city like the concrete jungle we haven’t seen illustrated in a while. Harry is a fox; his shifty eyes and quick handwork are among his few establishing features.
As Segan elaborates on Harry’s lifestyle in the opening minutes, we get a rush of classic NYC cinema, where its honest, true urbanism and characters feel so lived in their environment. The street-level hustling and naturalistic filmmaking, amplified by a jazzy score from Gary Lionelli, transport it to late 20th-century cinema nobody makes anymore. Not the Taxi Driver variety, but the days when the city felt like a playground. DP Sam Levy of Frances Ha fame shoots it like a classic caper; authenticity captures the organic grift and grit. This is catnip for my Brooklyn native ass.
The film’s location scout is the true hero, as Pickpocket is the first NYC flick that shows how much of a bitch it is to travel between boroughs.
John Turturro reminds us why character actors make movie stars.
JOHN TURTURRO as Harry Lehman, TATIANA MASLANY as Kelly in ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
This is John Turturro’s crowning moment. The film wouldn’t work without his classic Brooklyn energy. Combining the charm and sharp-minded demeanor you love from Severance and his Spike Lee collabs, he brings a fantastic leading soulfulness. Then there’s the bright stunt casting of Giancarlo Esposito, Turturro’s costar in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, as Detective Allan Warren, and Steve Buscemi, his costar in The Big Lebowski, as a pawn shop seller/buyer. Both were so delightful, like watching masters at their work. It becomes a John Turturro tribute and celebration of his lengthy, underrated career.
In one fell swoop, Tatiana Maslany arrives and steals the fucking show. Eating and leaving no crumbs as Harry’s estranged daughter, the character portrait and all its intentions come alive in one shared scene. Pickpocket and Todd McCarthy’s A Statement — another great Sony Pictures Classics release from NYFF — are testaments to their aptitude.
Will Price sticks out like a sore thumb as the weakest link. He’s out of his element as the forceful, supposedly reckless mafia nepo son. We’ve seen this archetype more often these days, tracing back to Theon Greyjoy in John Wick. The intention is intimidation, but his line delivery is too hyperbolic or dry. He’s forcing an energy he doesn’t possess. I kept thinking, “Huh, Malik Elassal from Adults would’ve made this shine.” He’ll bring the real NYC energy through that show films in Toronto.
Ultimately, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a breezy, loving throwback to the kind of street-level NYC caper nobody makes anymore — anchored by a crowning John Turturro performance that reminds you why he’s one of the greats. At a brisk 85-minute runtime that never overstays its welcome, it pickpockets freshness that also steals your heart.
