There isn’t too much of a link between these two films outside the fact that we’re dealing with two of our great actors, in the later stage of their careers, delivering dynamite work in tiny independent films about characters on an impossible life or death journey (and both premiered at Sundance). But they are here together to save me a second article. In the case of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, which opens on October 16, this is a very early review.

“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York”
(dir. Noah Segan/Sony Pictures Classics)

Noah Segan’s excellent new crime drama is a beautifully-brisk and exciting 88-minute caper about an old-school pickpocket, knowingly reaching the end of his criminal career after nabbing and losing a precious USB stick from a spoiled teen, who turns out to be apart of a dangerous criminal family. John Turturro, in a role that may be the best of his long and heavily-respected career, stars as the titular quiet thief, who is one of the last of his era. His disabled wife Rosie is in need of constant care, many names of his past have been arrested or are deceased, and in the new digital world he lives in, credit cards can be cancelled in seconds-time, leaving him to have to consider alternative methods. With the assistance of pawn shop broker Ben (Steve Buscemi), Harry must deal with returning the loot to its rightful owners to protect his immobile wife from harm.

Segan, a devoted collaborator of Rian Johnson (who has an executive producer credit on this) and has appeared in every Johnson production as an actor, makes the leap to directing here with comfortable ease. His clear adoration for the city of New York and its people is sweetly saccharine and earnestly nostalgic, complete with a soft-jazz score by Gary Lionelli and multiple songs on the soundtrack that include “New York” in the title. The film never lets you forget its setting, which emphasizes how difficult this quest may be, with Harry having to reunite with every connection he possibly can get further along in a city of 20 million people. Despite its crime plot, Segan packs the script with comforting charm and pleasant meetings with Turturro and the faces of his past, including a sly and playful interaction between Harry and Detective Allen Warren (Giancarlo Esposito), waxing poetic about the good-old days.

Familiar faces populate the screen as the film goes on, adding to Harry’s expansive web of connections or people he’s left behind, including a heart-shattering, one-scene appearance by Tatiana Maslany. There is also the surprisingly calm and nuanced Jamie Lee Curtis, reigning in her usually-big onscreen personality for a cleverly chill but quietly devastating final sequence. But this is the John Turturro show, in a role that feels like a final bow to a tremendous career as one of our most dependable and versatile character actors (yet at only 69 years old, hopefully in a just-world, will just lead to more great lead roles for the next couple of decades).

His ability to spurt out rat-a-tat dialogue infused with enchanting warmth, seemingly free of worry despite his desperation is a gift to watch. Moments of him conversing with the non-verbal Rosie, even dancing around their apartment to entertain her, sparkle with magnetism. Turturro’s natural charisma is through-the-roof, playing the city’s most likable and sympathetic criminal. Yet, he is still a thief who has gotten by for decades ruining lives and nabbing treasures and getting away scott-free. Where Turturro excels most is how he channels the certainty of his inevitable fate with calm peace and honest reflection. Being in the inviting hands of a seasoned thespian at the top of his game, there’s rarely a special effect in film more attention-grabbing.

“The Weight”
(dir. Padraic McKinley/Vertical Entertainment)

Padraic McKinley’s grim epic is a Wages of Fear-inspired tale of a man named Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), arrested after defending and being separated from his young daughter Penny and placed in a workforce camp. Coordinated by the camp’s brutal Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe), he is sent out on a mission with a small, trusted group of prisoners alongside him, having to fight for his life to smuggle gold through 100 miles of Oregon wilderness to a single safe destination. These men must not be caught by the authorities on this private journey, nor must they lose even one brick of gold. With a promise of a share and their freedom in the balance, some of the men slowly begin to turn on each other, with every passing night or dangerous situation leaving uncertainty along the way.

The script by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines (who also composes the score) delivers in keeping the trek feeling like true hell around every corner from long, suspension bridges to unexpected guests to river fights, shoot-outs, and car chases. There is one particular moment involving a ring and a swollen finger that is one of the standout squeamish scenes of the year. Nearly every moment of this story feels old-fashioned and carefully envisioned, with McKinley’s grimy and hazy canvas feeling simultaneously crisp and cinematic. You’d be mistaken to think this was shot on film, but the mimicking of that hard-edge 1970s style is so well-realized.

Where it falls somewhat short of the great films it’s clearly taking inspiration from are with the characterizations. It’s not that these men don’t come off likable or intimidating enough, it just lacks finding the bond between the trustworthy men and Hawke to be as compelling as it needs to be. The only true bond that has “weight” is between Hawke and Anna ( Julia Jones), a Native American woman who joins their journey along the way and saves Murphy’s life on more than one occasion. Crowe is locked in to his slimy villainy, but given the character is only present in the opening and closing of the film, his inclusion feels forgettable (despite being as big a head on the film’s poster as Hawke).

It’s an impressive directorial debut for McKinley, and one that works as bloody, gnarly entertainment, able to make a $2 million production feel as thrilling as any studio film. It may only feel small in comparison to the films it’s inspired by, but having Hawke lead the film allows for immediate audience engagement from the first frame. As one of the most watchable actors working today, he’s able to take a character we know little about and infuse them with equal parts earnest warmth and survivalist grit. Just a girl-dad with the determination of a thousand men to get back to his daughter, and no amount of gun-pointing and knuckle-splitting edge can take that sweetness from him.