Sony Pictures Classics has acquired global rights to the crime thriller 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,' starring John Turturro, following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, written and directed by Noah Segan, also screened at the Berlin Film Festival. A fall theatrical release is planned.
The acquisition of 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York' marks Sony Pictures Classics' third purchase from this year's Sundance Film Festival, following 'Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty' and 'Bedford Park.' The film world-premiered at Sundance in January 2026 and recently played at Berlin.
Directed and written by Noah Segan, the movie stars John Turturro as Harry Lehman, an aging pickpocket navigating a transformed New York City where cashless wallets and trackable phones challenge his trade. Harry cares for his disabled wife, Rosie, played by Karina Arroyave. After unwittingly stealing and fencing a valuable USB stick, he faces a high-stakes pursuit by a vengeful crime family, leading to a race through the city. The cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi, Victoria Moroles, Will Price, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
MRC financed the production, with T-Street Productions—led by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman—handling production alongside Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, and Ben LeClair. Johnson and Bergman also served as executive producers, with Johnny Holland as an additional executive producer.
Sony Pictures Classics praised the film in a statement: "Noah Segan’s ‘The Only Living Pickpocket’ is one of the great New York movies ever featuring John Turturro in the finest performance of his career, and it’s a glorious entertainment. It will be a big hit this fall with audiences everywhere."
Segan, a multi-generational New Yorker known for collaborations with Rian Johnson on films like 'Looper,' 'Brick,' and the 'Knives Out' trilogy, emphasized the project's authenticity. "As a multi-generational New Yorker, capturing the soul and energy of our city was a requirement for ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.’ No one embodies that vibe more than John Turturro," he said. "Working alongside his legendary friends and colleagues like Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito... gave us the authenticity that New York demands."
Reviews have been positive. Variety critic Tomris Laffly described it as an "unapologetically local love letter to the Big Apple and its less-illustrious denizens that New York deserves," calling it "a new, minor-key New York classic." Deadline's Damon Wise noted that Turturro "steals the show" in this "wonderfully acted love letter to the Manhattan indies that dominated the ’80s," suggesting it could kick off next year's under-the-radar awards season.
