I haven’t been hitting the multiplex as much as I generally do of late, and for good reason: I am actually doing stuff outside the movie theater. Trips to see family, out-of-town weddings, weekends away. Heck, I’m hitting a Broadway play next weekend, and that means I need to figure out when I’m getting to Godzilla Minus Zero. But this weekend, this weekend I had time to see something. Wildwood is high on my list, but that I am holding off on to see with someone else. Clayface isn’t really my thing as I don’t care much for body horror. But a crime thriller that runs just under 90 minutes? Sure!
Besides, it’s a starring role for John Turturro. This one is going to be more brainy than brawny, and I am absolutely fine with that.
Pickpocket Harry (Turturro) is something of a relic in what he refers to as his line of work. The movie opens with what looks like a well-off businessman going about his business, only realizing too late his wallet is missing when he goes to pay a restaurant bill. The only indication that something might have happened is Harry stops to stand behind him on a subway train. That’s it. But when the story cuts to Harry having a meal at a small diner, he finds the businessman’s wallet has no cash in it. It’s all credit cards. Harry can’t use those. That, in essence, is emblematic of how Harry does things. He is very old-fashioned. He doesn’t even carry a cell phone. He doesn’t live particularly extravagantly. His one big goal is to take care of his catatonic wife Rosie (Karina Arroyave).
Harry’s luck, however, takes a turn when he robs loudmouth jackass Dillon (Will Price), a character that would be more comedic in other settings if he wasn’t so physically threatening. Harry took something of great value of Dillon’s, and while his own life might be forfeit, he does need to protect Rosie. Harry is not a physical threat to anybody. He has gotten as far as he has in life as a working-class criminal by being able to think on his feet and develop good relationships with other people. Case in point: there’s a scene in the subway, as seen in the trailer, where Harry witnesses a young pickpocket rob a woman, and rather than help the victim, he gives the young thief some pointers. Can Harry use those skills to get out of this mess in some way?
Writer/director Noah Segan (a frequent collaborator with Rian Johnson, who executive produced) made this movie as, among other things, a love letter to the city of New York. Turturro may be one of the most “New York” actors out there. The songs on the soundtrack all reference the city by name. The final shot is one of the city skyline. The action essentially takes place entirely within the city. Quite frankly, it would be hard to picture Harry anywhere else.
As it is, Turturro also gives a great performance as a man of some age who treats what he does as a job and nothing more. He is a fellow who has made his living, among other things, building relationships with people like pawn shop owner Ben (Steve Buscemi) or soon-to-be-retiring cop Detective Warren (Giancarlo Esposito), and then using those relationships to get things done. It’s basically a theme to the movie. At the end of the movie, when Harry comes face-to-face with Dillon’s family boss, the two have what amounts to a cordial conversation that suggests that the two have similar mindsets and values but just come from the opposite ends of the economic ladder. As thriller go, you probably won’t be on the edge of your seat for anything that happens, but at the same time, you probably don’t need it to. I enjoyed this one.
Grade: A-
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