The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Review – Pulsates, Explodes with Intensity, Entertaining
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Wednesday, 02 September 2026 12:02
- Written by Janet Walker
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, from Sony Pictures Classic, presents an ode to New York City as a skilled and efficient pickpocket travels the city streets seizing every opportunity to enjoy the fruits of another's labor.
The film begins on Fifth Avenue, when Mr. Uptown, played by Dan Chariton, finds himself short on time and in need of a quick trip downtown. He hops on the subway, which is when we meet Harry, played by John Turturro. A quick bump on an overly crowded subway car, and we know, before Mr. Uptown, that his wallet, credit cards, and watch have been deftly lifted with such learned skill that he doesn't realize until be receives the bill for an overpriced corporate lunch that his wallet is missing.
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And we see, as Harry opens the wallet that in modern society, cash, a pickpockets livelihood, is hard to come by, as it is now stored on devices, and on cards.
Every good pickpocket needs a good fence to pawn the goods after a hard days work. For Harry, he meets up with Ben, played by Steve Buscemi, who after looking and Mr. Uptown's watch explains, it's a good knockoff but not the real deal, even for some carrying platinum, somedays the wristwatch doesn't match the plastic. We also meet his granddaughter, Eve, played by Victoria Morales, who is in the business, but working the con on the computer.
For a pickpocket, the morning and evening rush on the subways are the best for the lift, and by afternoon, Harry is picking up his wife, Rosie, played by Karina Arroyave, who is in a vegetative, but not hospitalized state, we don't really find out what happened, just that one day she was fine, and the next she was not.
Harry spends his days caring for Rosie, reading to her, and as she is wheelchair bound, making she understands, if she can, that she is loved.
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As it turns to night, Harry is on the prowl again looking for an easy mark. Hanging out near one the many short term parking lots, he sees a restored 1969 Ford Mustang drive into the lot. With the skills of years, he bumps into a young man, in his 20s, arrogant, and apologizes, defuses the tension, makes nice with the guy, even plays a bit dumb, and offers to close the door for him, he does and slips a coin in the door handle, so it won't lock.
Once the young man, leaves the car, Harry returns, pulls out the gym bag and while he is waiting for the subway opens it to find a gun, opens his wallet which is loaded with cash, and a USB drive. By now we know the owner's name is Dylan, played by Will Price, and when he discovers his wallet is missing, we begin to realize he is a bit more savvy than his arrogant persona projects.
Even though we don't know yet what line of work his family is into, he has been well-educated and is trying to talk his family into modernizing their business. By nights end, they have Harry's name, fingerprints, and last known address.
On the subway home to the Bronx, Harry meets Detective Warren, played by Giancarlo Esposito and the two "old dogs," the last of each of their breeds, a gumshoe detective now regulated to what used to be a hall closet, and a pickpocket who is stuck with the five and dime relics of those who don't use a cellphone to pay, play their game with each other.
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By morning, Dylan is at Harry's apartment and explains when you steal from a family like mine you don't come back and as Harry as already fenced the goods, he is unable to give him the USB card. He gives him the day and explains if he isn't back with the USB card by 4:00 PM, Rosie dies.
This ushers in the final act, a mad rush against the clock as Harry is facing a death sentence and the clock is ticking.
Gripping and captivating, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York pulsates with everything that is Manhattan, a collision of the new and the old, tech savvy kids taking over the less that legal businesses of their parents, a beating heart of a vibrant city, and the hustle, from the Bronx to Queens, Brooklyn to Manhattan, the film explodes with the hustle, with everyone looking for a way to make it in the mean streets of New York City.
The ensemble cast led by Jon Turturro ignites with an authentic characterizations of those who live and scam in the city. Delivering honest performances that hypnotize, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, will have you glued to the screen.
With screenings scheduled for the Toronto International Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York opens in limited release on October 16, 2026. See it.
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Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Runtime: 88 minutes.
Release Date: October 16, 2026.
Director: Noah Segan.
Producer: Leopold Hughes, Katie McNeill, Ben LeClair.
Executive Producer: Ram Bergman, Johnny Holland, Rian Johnson, Dan Watson.
Writer: Noah Segan.
Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Buscemi, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Morales, Karina Arroyava, Echaka Agba, Lori Tan Chinn, Mark Cayne, Rob Brown, Dan Chariton, Kelvin Han Yee, Aida Turturro, Michael Hsu Rosen, Paradise Montanez.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Under the banner of her production company, HL Productions, LLC, Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
