Harry in Your Pocket is an action comedy with
an antihero, something new and very popular in the Seventies. While the
gathering of this interesting crew is cordial, tension builds between the
characters because despite all their smiles and
camaraderie, they are all thieves at heart. The tension has us carefully watching
to see if it will disrupt their movements. The action in Harry in Your Pocket comes from the audience actively following the “poke.’’ There
are few staged gags to induce laughter. The comedy comes from us chuckling as
they get away with it with the finely tuned choreography of a ballet. If both
the action and the humor are subdued, we don’t care. The charisma of James
Coburn has us smirking every time he flashes his teeth. Coburn built his career
playing the stylish rogue in the Sixties. This film is smooth sailing for him
and veteran actor Walter Pidgeon. Pidgeon’s role as mentor is great fun to
watch. His character reflects an illusion of an older, more elegant era in
crime. The timing of his career with this
movie is perfect and he very nearly steals the show from Coburn. Harry in Your Pocket is not holding up
very well with age. The chaotic fashions and lifestyle of the Seventies are pervasive
on the screen and look a bit dated. It’s rather fun for me as I grew up near
Seattle, and most of the movie is set in that locale. I recognized buildings
and restaurants that have long since have been torn down and replaced with high-rises.
Harry in Your Pocket is a movie of
the Seventies, when the studios were experimenting with what makes movie relevant.
It both hits and misses the mark. But if you’re looking for a movie with some
hustle and a dash of time capsule, you will find it a good time.
