The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Stole My Heart

Sundance Film Review: The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
Director: Noah Segan
MRC, T-Street
Premiere: 01.27.2026

A city is a living, breathing animal, and no matter how much it changes over time, it’s still the same place at heart. This is true whether you’re talking about Park City, Utah, or New York, New York. As The Only Living Pickpocket in New York premiered on Tuesday night in the former, it offered its audience a soulful love letter to the latter.

Harry (John Turturro, Quiz Show, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) is an aging, old-school thief who still makes his living lifting wallets on the streets and subways of a rapidly changing city. A relic of an analog era, Harry survives on instinct, routine and quiet relationships, including his devoted care for his severely ill wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave, Lean On Me). His fragile equilibrium collapses when he unknowingly steals a bag containing a USB drive loaded with cryptocurrency that belongs to Dylan (Will Price, A Complete Unknown, After The Hunt), a volatile young criminal. Suddenly hunted by violent gangsters who don’t share his “moral criminal” codes, Harry is forced into a desperate race across the city to recover the device and save Rosie.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is an enchanting film that sneaks up on you with its warmth and quiet confidence. It turns a simple crime setup into a deeply human story about aging, loyalty and survival in a city that no longer makes room for people like its hero, a relic of days gone by trying and failing to adapt. Writer-director Noah Segan is a lifelong New Yorker, and he makes the city itself a three dimensional character actively participating in the story. Segan establishes an unhurried rhythm, trusting character over spectacle, and in doing so finds something rare: a crime movie that feels gentle without ever losing tension, and nostalgic without slipping into cloying sentimentality. The city is gorgeously captured by cinematographer Sam Levy‘s incomparable eye, whether it’s the grime of the subway or the majesty of the cityscapes.

Turturro’s performance is simply extraordinary, filled with patience, humor and a lifetime of lived-in detail, grounding every scene in heartfelt honesty. This seasoned veteran of indie and Hollywood films has been one one of our greatest and most nuanced versatile actors for decades, and I hope that The Only Living Pickpocket in New York serves as a reminder that serious recognition of his magnificent body of work is long overdue. He’s surrounded by a powerhouse ensemble, with Giancarlo Esposito (who appeared with Turturro in both of Spike Lee‘s Do The Right Thing and Jungle Fever), adding weight and presence as Detective Warren, a New York cop who has kept an eye on Harry for as long as either can remember. The great Steve Buscemi, whose career path has crossed Turturro’s in multiple Coen Brothers films, shines as Harry’s old friend Ben, and Tatiana Maslany smolders in a small role as Harry’s estranged daughter. This is a dream ensemble for any modern cinephile, and the film is a masterclass in truth in acting.

The Only Living Pickpocket In New York is my favorite film of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and is likely to make my best-of-the-year list. A brisket entertaining film with an introspective soul, it’s a celebration of the titular city and its rich cinematic history, and it will stay with me for a long time to come. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more of SLUG’s coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.