The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (2026 | US | 88 minutes | Noah Seger)
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York proves we’re passed the age of cash in hand, which is great for most of us but not the protagonist. There once was a time when cash was king, money clips were mandatory and pickpockets made a legitimate living on the subways of New York City. That’s when Harry (John Turturro) lived day to day without a thought for his family or really anything but making a buck. Fast forward and we find him filled with regrets and caring for his deeply ill wife as a type of penance for deep wounds of the heart he’s inflicted on others. We spend a day with Harry, experiencing his highs and fall from grace.
With this only being Noah Seger’s third work as a director, Only Living Pickpocket is a an impressive and contemplative look at a man who doesn’t exactly deserve our sympathy, but tries to grab it nonetheless. It’s Turturro’s performance that heaves the mighty weight of this unassuming and slow-paced “crime thriller”. I’d put it somewhere between Ocean’s Eleven and Uncut Gems without the comedic, fast-paced fun of the first or the smarmy characters and gritty feel of the second. I’m not saying Harry is necessarily a redeemable character, but the constant lull of jazz in the background, his desire to pass on his work like a gift to younger grifters and the hope that his daily caregiving routine offers a little salvation mixes to create a strolling story of a man who made one too many pulls.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York arrives in theaters on 10/30