The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

by Mike McGranaghan

John Turturro has been doing extraordinary film work for decades yet has never been nominated for an Oscar. Not even for Do the Right Thing. With The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, he gives a performance that deserves to be considered for all the awards. This is one of those cases where an actor who’s been around forever hits a grand slam that reminds us why we’ve loved them for so long.

His character is Harry, a longtime loser who steals wallets and gym bags, then sells the contents to pawn store owner Ben (Steve Buscemi). He’s got a comatose wife he deeply loves, plus a grown daughter (Tatiana Maslany) who hates his guts. Among his few friends is Detective Warren (Giancarlo Esposito), an old-school cop who found his career downgraded when the NYPD started putting more focus on cybercrimes than on petty thefts. Harry finds himself on the receiving end of some very bad luck when he lifts a USB card belonging to Dylan (Will Price), a spoiled kid from a Mafia family who will stop at nothing to get it back.

Written and directed by Noah Segan, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York deals with the idea of becoming outdated. In our technologically advanced world, Harry finds himself not knowing what to do with much of the stuff he steals. People wear smart watches instead of expensive Rolexes. They use cell phone cash apps rather than carrying around money. Now at an older age, the situation with Dylan forces him to reflect on his life – the choices he made, the regrets he carries with him, the realization that nothing he’s done has amounted to anything. Warren’s brief arc mirrors the theme that “the old way is gone,” as does a late-film encounter Harry has with Dylan’s grandmother (played by an Oscar-winning actress in a killer cameo).

Turturro can go big or small in his work. Jesus in The Big Lebowski and the title character in Barton Fink are examples of him effectively going big. Fading Gigolo and Gloria Bell are films in which he powerfully went small. The actor goes very small for Harry, delivering a lived-in performance that speaks volumes through facial expressions and body language. Making himself more vulnerable than ever, he captures the duality of the character, which lies in the fact that he’s very good at a skill that has gotten him nowhere. Your heart breaks for the man, despite recognizing that he’s dug his own hole.

Complimenting the performance is New York itself. Segan beautifully captures the essence of the different boroughs. Using actual locations allows Harry’s journey to have real authenticity. The city never fails to photograph well, even in its less glamourous spots, and the atmosphere created here is intoxicating. Carefully chosen settings plunge you into the main character’s world.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York incorporates humor and tenderness into its drama, rendering it an exceptionally entertaining film. The last two shots send you off with the same feeling of melancholy that Harry expresses throughout. But it’s not a downer, because this is the Big Apple, and you know this guy wouldn’t have dreamed of living his troubled life anywhere else in the world.