The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a 2026 American crime thriller film written and directed by Noah Segan. It stars John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, and Steve Buscemi.
The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, and its international premiere out of competition of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 20. It is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York City on October 16, followed by a nationwide expansion a week later by Sony Pictures Classics. The film received positive reviews from critics.
Contents
Premise
Aging career pickpocket Harry, clueless about modern technology, steals and then loses possession of a device belonging to a young member of a major crime family. In the course of his attempt to retrieve and return the device, he uses a lifetime of personal connections and urban know-how to limit the consequences for himself and his loved ones.
Cast
John Turturro as Harry Lehman
Giancarlo Esposito as Detective Allan Warren
Will Price as Dylan
Tatiana Maslany as Kelly
Victoria Moroles as Eve
Steve Buscemi as Ben
Jamie Lee Curtis as Moira
Lori Tan Chinn as Gena
Kelvin Han Yee as Frank
Karina Arroyave as Rosie
John Gallagher Jr. as the Businessman
Jack Mulhern as Bryce
Michael Hsu Rosen as Ernie
Aida Turturro as Bonnie
Mark Cayne as Billy
Production
In April 2025, principal photography began in New York City, when it was announced that Noah Segan would be writing and directing a crime thriller film, starring John Turturro as Harry. Later that month, Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi, Victoria Moroles, and Will Price rounded out the cast. In January 2026, Jamie Lee Curtis was revealed to have joined the cast.
Release
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York premiered at the Eccles Theater as part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, on January 27, and had its international premiere out of competition at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 20. It closed the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 11 July 2026, it was also selected for the 53rd Telluride Film Festival, and the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, and 2026 New York Film Festival.
In February 2026, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film, with plans to release it that fall. The film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York City on October 16, 2026, expanding nationwide a week later on October 23.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A graceful character study that affords John Turturro one of the best roles of his career, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York astutely captures the struggle to scrape by in a world that won't stop changing the rules." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Writing for IndieWire, critic Beandrea July gave the film an A grade and named it an IndieWire Critic's Pick, calling it a rare find and a welcome update to the New York crime movie genre praised for its authentic outer-borough setting. Variety also marks this film as a "critics pick."
