Review: 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York' gives John Turturro the showcase he's long deserved, and he steals every moment

Like most movie fans, I’m the sort who sees John Turturro in a tiny role in a lackluster movie and wishes somebody, anybody, would give this boundlessly talented actor a meaty role and just let him cook. Writer-director Noah Segan’s “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” is the showcase for Turturro’s subtle talents that we’ve been waiting for.

Turturro plays Harry, who is the pickpocket of the title. Harry’s an old-school thief, smoothly lifting wallets and jewelry from people on the subway or the street, then bringing his purloined goods to his friend Ben (Steve Buscemi), a fence who runs a pawn shop. Ben has a niece, Eve (Victoria Moroles), who knows the new computer-driven crime, but Harry prefers to keep it low-tech and human. And after a day of picking pockets, he goes to the senior center to pick up his wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave), who’s in a vegetative state.

One night, Harry sees an arrogant young man, Dylan (Will Price), driving a classic 1969 hot rod he doesn’t deserve. Dylan seems like a perfect mark, so Harry gets into his car and takes a gym bag. Inside, he later finds, are a wallet with a large stack of $100 bills, an imposing-looking handgun, and a memory card that Harry has no idea what to do with. But Harry quickly figures out that Dylan is the last person he should have hit: A member of a certain kind of New York family, the kind that doesn’t like to be robbed.

Dylan and his young thugs soon find Harry and threaten him and Rosie if he doesn’t bring back one item: The memory card. Thus begins Harry’s journey through four of the five boroughs, both to find the missing card but also to tie up some loose ends, since he knows there’s no coming back from this one.

Among those loose ends are Warren (Giancarlo Esposito, for those seeking a “Do the Right Thing” reunion), a detective who’s wanted to put away Harry for decades, and a character played by Tatiana Maslany that I will not describe further. 

Segan neatly blends a thriller’s pacing with a slightly laconic love letter to New York City’s urban beauty and idiosyncrasies. Mostly, though, Segan gives Turturro a chance to show the gritty side, the romantic side and the heroic side we always knew he had. It’s the best platform Turturro has had to show off his acting skills since, perhaps, “Quiz Show.” 

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‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’

★★★1/2

Opens Friday, October 30, in theaters. Rated R for language. Running time: 88 minutes.