Harry in Your Pocket (1973)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Harry in Your Pocket (1973) – B. Geller

James Coburn is the suave pickpocket “cannon” (Harry) who, with his older partner (the “steer”) Walter Pidgeon, take on a pair of young people, Michael Sarrazin and Trish Van Devere, as “stalls” in order to form a team that steals some “pokes” from rich folks in Seattle. The mechanics of pickpocketing is the main focus here, using the lingo above, and with repeated demonstrations, as the young folks learn the trade. Sarrazin’s Ray, in particular, is keen to become a cannon, the one who picks the pocket, but Coburn’s Harry refuses to teach him. Instead, Harry does the deed and quickly hands over the poke to one of the others, because “Harry doesn’t hold” which also means he hasn’t ever gone to jail.  That’s not to say that the police don’t know who he is – soon the group is asked to move along, to find another city to loot. As the film progresses, the relationship tensions (particularly between Harry and Van Devere’s Sandy) start to simmer: Ray is jealous and begins to work on his own (with guidance from Pidgeon’s Casey) which eventually causes the team to unravel a bit. This being the 70s, there’s a downbeat ending, although it’s more abrupt than it should be. The flat TV-style cinematography and rather prosaic settings don’t add much to the proceedings. This film deserved a Jean-Pierre Melville in the director’s chair but got Bruce Geller instead (only other feature: The Savage Bees, 1976).