Rexpectations: The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (New Thing #5) is a new film from Noah Segan, who is best known as the guy that Rian Johnson works into all of his films. He was the other detective in Knives Out and the slacker friend randomly staying on Edward Norton’s island in the sequel.

The film is about John Turturro’s pickpocket who robs the wrong person and then has to deal with the consequences. I’d recommend skipping the trailer because it pretty much hits all of the main beats of the film so I feel like it would be better to go in blind.

EXPECT: A THROWBACK MOVIE
This is the kind of movie that people say don’t get made anymore. It is a very straightforward film that drops the audience in the middle of the urban subculture - in this case, aging crooks - and then plays out a fairly straightforward story.

DON’T EXPECT: OFFBEAT CHARACTERS
This is a film littered with people who are pretty much run down by life and at the end of their run. This isn’t one of those NY stories with all of these characters you wouldn’t meet anywhere else.

DON’T EXPECT: IT TO STICK THE LANDING
I always wonder if I should mention the ending or just let people figure this part out on their own but I feel like this one left me with a WTF feeling that I think it’s probably better for people to be ready for so as not to be too let down.

All in all, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York falls into the fine but forgettable bucket.