TIFF 2026 Review: The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

A veteran pickpocket unwittingly steals from a member of a crime family which puts his life at risk.

A man heads off to work, only to discover at work that his wallet has gone missing, the culprit unknown to him is an old-school pickpocket, Harry, who is looking after his sickly wife, estranged from their daughter and has a good thing going at a pawn shop owned by a good friend. The trouble is he gets too clever and ends up stealing from a young punk who is connected to a crime family and finds himself being made a marked man.

When it comes to the story, the narrative is conventional and could be performed as a stage play.  The villain in the form of Dylan comes across as the gangster version of Mark Zuckerberg which is strangely amusing and annoying at the same time.   Feeling rather one-note is the estranged daughter as the character is performed by Tatiana Maslany who is known for showing a wide emotional range.  Where things really shine is when John Turturro gets to riff with Steve Buscemi, as the dialogue between the two wily thespians feels fresh, funny and real.  A close second is John Turturro and Giancarlo as their relationship comes across as a well-worn leather jacket. And there is John Turturro on his own as he does not need to do much to say a lot.

The opening grift where no money is found inside the wallet and the resulting disappointment from Harry was funny to watch.  There was definitely a lot of joy taken in choosing the songs with “New York, I love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” by LCD Soundsystem basically summing things up right from the beginning.  The cinematography has an on-the-street style that would be at home with The French Connection.  The pacing is fine it is just that the story beats seem to be coming for a generic drum rather than one that makes the audience move in way that Harry does to entertain his wife.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20, 2026, and for more information visit tiff.net.   

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.