The Only Living Pickpocket In New York Review - Tuturro Incredibly Likable in Portrait of NYC
I'm currently covering the Vancouver Film Festival for Rogue Eye Media! Keep an eye on this website and all of our social media platforms all weekend for all my thoughts. My first review for The Debut is live here and now enjoy my review of The Only Living Pickpocket In New York!
Synopsis:
"Harry Lehman (John Tuturro) is an aging pickpocket who plies his trade with ever-diminishing returns in a drastically changed New York. Wallets stuffed with cash have been replaced by easily cancelled credit cards, and Harry struggles to make ends meet as he cares for his disabled wife, Rosie. When he unwittingly purloins and fences a valuable USB stick, Harry finds himself in a race against time to return the loot or face the rage of a vengeful crime family."
Cast:
John Tuturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buschemi
Release Date:
Limited Release October 23rd, Wide Release October 30th
Tuturro Leads Interesting Network of Characters
John Tuturro has really been having a moment since Severance came out, with the veteran actor being re-introduced to a whole new generation of film fans. That success opens doors to films like this, which put him in a very likable role. He's playing an experienced pickpocket, struggling to make ends meet in a world that has been digitized. Tuturro plays out this slow desperation really well, as he attempts to take care of his wife who has been diagnosed with a terrible illness. He's completely convincing in these pickpockleting scenes, but also you can tell there's so many layers hidden under that "cool" persona. He clearly has that leading presence to pull of this role that isn't necessarily complicated, but needs the skill of a veteran actor that he brings. One of the things I really enjoyed was seeing him try to adjust to the modern world - very early on he's learning that the world is changing and leaving his profession behind.
We get to learn almost everything we need to know about him within the first act, due to the network of characters around him. Being a pickpocket entails a large criminal network and many different supporting roles around him. It was really cool seeing this group played out and for us to be caught up on years of history so quickly. There's an entire process to his profession and it was really interesting to see that side of things. Steve Buschemi plays his 'dealer', so to speak, and it's always a treat to see him on screen. I was left just smiling at all the scenes with Tuturro and Giancarlo Espositio - it's a joy to see these actors on screen together. His role as a cop brings a really new and interesting dynamic into Tuturro's character.
New York City World Building
If you are a New Yorker, this is absolutley the film for you. The film makes New York a character in itself and the essence of the location is really captured well. I'll admit I've never lived in New York, but I've been there plenty of times and it feels as accurate as possible. First there's the way it's shot, with director Noah Segan making you really settle into this setting. He has a very laid back directing style and it makes this film feel as grounded as possible. You also see this in the dialogue, with many sharp quips between Tuturro and some of the other New Yorkers. He encounters plenty of people simply on the street and their banter makes for some of the better scenes in the entire film. Tuturro's character really uses the city to his advantage, wether it's a simple person or just his knowledge of the exact street that he's on. This creates a really fun dynamic throughout, especially towards the end when he's forced to take a risk.
Character Arcs Not Explored Until Too Late
Although I did find Tuturro's character interesting on the surface, they take a very long time to delve into his character and his flaws. He's presented as this really cool and sly person on the surface, but we eventually learn that he's made a lot of errors in his life. I found this exploration interesting, but it came way too late. We spend the first hour or so not learning anything about his backstory and it made it a little harder to get invested into what was going on. Then towards the end a bunch of new plot lines and characters come into his story all at once, which just felt a little jarring. Tatiana Maslany's character shows up for only one scene towards the very end and I was left wanting that dynamic throughout the entire film. The story focusing on Tuturro left a lot of the supporting cast to dry - I wouldn't have minded a slightly longer runtime if it meant delving deeper into some of the other roles.
Pacing Slower, Scenes Linger Too Long
This is a film that may hit with more hard core film fans rather than the general audience due to the slower pacing throughout. As someone who thinks of himself as in both camps, it did begin to bother me how slow it was at times. Especially since this one is around 90 minutes, I was kinda confused by the decision to make the storytelling very slow from the jump. It takes a long time to get into the actual conflict/plot, which will leave you wanting things to speed up for a lot of the film. There was also a general theme of scenes overstaying their welcome. There were multiple occasions where scenes just lingered way too long and I felt myself wanting to move on to the next part of the plot. The proper emotions and exposition has already been said, but we continue to watch our characters in moments that aren't really necessary for us to look in on. This is another case where that time could have been spent in better areas, wether in the supporting cast or fleshing out Tuturro earlier on.
Final Thoughts
For me, this film was a very fun watch that just doesn't elevate itself to any awards talks. Tuturro has been receiving some buzz, and I think he was good, but nothing that fits alongside the other Oscars contenders for me. This is a very easily digestible film that just left me wanting more in some areas, but on the whole it's more positives than negatives!
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is ranked 35th out of the 77 new releases I've seen this year.
Editor's Note: I've only included the top 20 from my 2026 new releases list, for editing purposes.
2026 Ranked:
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