This interesting little character study about a professional pickpocket and his inner circle oozes charm, but could NEVER be made today. HARRY IN YOUR POCKET is too small, too focused on a few interesting folks and too slow to ever get a green light for today's audiences.
Luckily, we have James Coburn in all his early seventies charm as Harry. Living in style, dressed in the best clothes and staying at the finest hotels, Harry and his aging partner-in-crime Casey (Walter Pidgeon) are looking for two new young recruits when they meet Ray and Sandy on the streets of Seattle.
Ray (Michael Sarrazin) is an impatient, sloppy thief that shows sparks of talent, while Sandy (Trish Van Devere) shows true talent and a light touch, along with plenty of beautiful distraction to their unknowing marks.
The characters are well written and have interesting traits, including Casey's penchant for cocaine and plenty of sexual tension in competition for Sandy's attention.
Above all, Coburn strolls through the film with his usual cool screen persona that seduces not only the victims, but also the viewer.
It's all methodical, slow by today's standards and rather clever as these four folks evolve not only in their relationships with the law, but also with each other.
Remember, HARRY DOESN'T CARRY!
But Coburn definitely carries the movie with ease, grabbing he and his gang a solid B.
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