The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

LCD Soundsystem’s melancholy requiem “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” opens Noah Segan’s The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, and seldom have a song and movie been paired better. They both capture the flavor of New York City as a melting pot, rich with character and culture, yet stewing beneath an olfactory miasma of urine and garbage. Its diversity and sordid history have been gradually replaced by gentrified neighborhoods and unthinkable costs of living, leaving a romanticism for the older, scuzzier days and a lament for its current state—both aspects that contribute to the city’s reputation as the greatest in the world. This dynamic lies at the center of Segan’s film, following a venerable thief who’s been around long enough to remember the old days and see how things have changed. In one of his finest, most subtle performances, John Turturro plays Harry, a fingersmith whose trade has lost much of its appeal in the modern age. 

Most new technology, from smartphones to contemporary watches, has built-in trackers designed to prevent theft and resale, so being a fast-fingered pickpocket isn’t what it used to be. Harry is nostalgic for his earlier years, often bringing up “remember when” stories about the old days. Things were better for him then. His wife, now catatonic and in a wheelchair, was once bright and lively. She’s played by Karina Arroyave, whose breakthrough role was as a troubled teen in Lean on Me (1989). Harry also used to know everyone. And his métier used to be easier; everyone had cash in their wallets. But some still carry paper money, even if most rely on cards or even their phones. An early scene shows Harry in action. Similar to a famous moment from Pickup on South Street (1953), Harry lifts a wallet from a businessman (John Gallagher, Jr.) on a subway for a nice payday. Embarrassingly, the suit goes on with his day and cannot pay for his cushy networking lunch.  

The film is a vibe, set to Gary Lionelli’s score of funky guitars and saxophones, straight out of a ’70s crime classic. Some of the best scenes involve Turturro prowling around the city, looking for a target, observing human behavior, and simply inhabiting his cool-as-a-cucumber persona. Harry could be part of Danny Ocean’s crew; he’s just that classy and confident. He has his routines: he tips in cash, drinks YooHoo, and roves around the Bronx like a flâneur, hands in pockets, eyes ever watchful. Turturro’s performance is masterfully understated and a testament to his screen presence. The New York-born actor inhabits Harry, imbuing him with years of roles inextricable from the city, from Do the Right Thing (1989) to what is ostensibly New York in The Batman (2022). Segan also casts Steve Buscemi as Ben, Harry’s fence, and Giancarlo Esposito as Warren, a smart, seen-it-all cop who shares a mutual respect with Harry. All of them follow an old-school code. 

The plot kicks into gear when Harry spots a lucrative-looking mark in a flashy young man who drives a restored vintage car. Harry lifts his wallet, loaded with hundreds, which should be enough of a warning sign, but then he also takes a bag filled with expensive shoes and a handgun. It turns out the sucker, Dylan (Will Price), is a Jersey mobster kid trying to modernize the family business (crime). Unbeknownst to Harry or Ben, one of the stolen items is a cryptocurrency locker USB. They have no idea what or whom they’re dealing with, and the theft soon rallies Italian and Chinese gangsters. Though urgent, the situation doesn’t rattle Harry. He tries to resolve the problem but also accepts the consequences of what he’s done, fully resigned to the lifestyle he’s chosen and the unwritten rules of the game that doom him.  

Segan has no doubt learned a thing or two from Rian Johnson, having appeared in each of the Knives Out director’s films since Brick (2005). He enlists cinematographer Sam Levy, who’s no stranger to shooting in New York, having filmed Frances Ha (2012) and Mistress America (2015) for Noah Baumbach. Even though the footage was shot digitally, Levy brings a vibrant texture to the city’s storefronts, subways, and streets that looks natural, if never quite as grainy or saturated as ’70s celluloid. The film is a major step forward for Segan, whose previous feature, his first, was the modest but charming vampire road movie Blood Relatives (2022). Before that, Segan cut his directorial teeth on a segment in the forgettable 2019 horror anthology Scare Package. Segan has made a remarkable improvement with The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, elevating himself from yet another passing actor-turned-director to someone whose behind-the-camera skill is developing promisingly. 

His film nods to the somber but somehow triumphant Simon and Garfunkel song “The Only Living Boy in New York” with his title, evoking the same notes of wounded acceptance found there and in LCD Soundsystem’s tune. This is a beautifully considered film, with lovely details, such as how Harry sits on his hands in Warren’s presence, a tradition between pickpockets and cops. Harry also visits his estranged daughter to say goodbye, knowing he won’t see her again, and Tatiana Maslany plays her in an outstanding single-scene performance. A native son of the city, Segan tops off his film with Cole Porter’s “I Happen to Like New York” after Harry’s fateful meeting—another one-scene performance by an Oscar-winning star that captures the entire film’s complex relationship with its surroundings. A love-hate letter to both the city and many of the onscreen actors inextricable from it, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York belongs in the category of they don’t make ’em like they used to, but occasionally, we get lucky with something like this.