Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Harry in Your Pocket! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 25, 2015

In February, there was “Focus.” Starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, “Focus” endeavored to tell the story of a team of pickpockets coming up against the law, one another, and sexual temptation. Turns out, the picture was a little late to the party, with 1973’s “Harry in Your Pocket” essentially covering the same dramatic terrain. Interestingly, both efforts are similarly flattened in the characterization department, trying to find sympathy with sincerely unpleasant people. “Harry in Your Pocket” is the stranger of the two features, attempting a melodramatic approach to the art of the steal, working to build a framework of personal tensions while still indulging a jaunty look at the methods of thievery, scored spiritedly by Lalo Schifrin. What should be lively fun is instead something of a drag, finding the screenplay cutting corners with personalities and the direction more invested in quick hands than lasting impressions.

Ray (Michael Sarrazin) is a young, inexperienced thief attempting to learn the ways of pickpocketing, but having little success. At a train station, he fumbles at attempt to lift a watch off Sandy (Trish Van Devere), but instead of incurring her wrath, he finds her interest, with the pair quickly becoming a couple. Looking for a bigger score, Ray and Sandy find their way to Casey (Walter Pidgeon), an old pro with a cocaine habit who works for Harry (James Coburn), the leader of a pickpocketing scheme that’s defined by his “laws” to keep order. Welcomed into the group, Sandy and Ray are offered a thorough education on the ways of taking wallets and watches from strangers on the street, gradually becoming more skilled at crime. Traveling to numerous cities, the foursome develops a rapport, but suspicions remain, with Harry drawn to Sandy, trying to charm her away from Ray, with the young crook unhappy and unwilling to simply walk away.

The co-writer/director of “Harry in Your Pocket” is Bruce Gellar, a famous television producer and the creator of “Mission: Impossible.” While an established creative force, Gellar makes his directorial debut with the movie, and his hurry to make a positive cinematic impression shows throughout the effort. Introductions are not a priority for the screenplay, quickly establishing Ray’s pickpocketing ambition and failures as he works a train station without much luck, while Sandy is a curious type, refusing to fall for the young man’s clumsy intent to collect her watch. Considering their meet cute is a botched theft, it seems strange that the two would be so quickly enamored with each other, hopping into bed for casual sex without much thought, yet the writing bonds them as a semi-married couple almost right away. Sandy’s interests in crime are undefined, as she’s scripted as a bright woman with awareness of the world, yet she’s drawn to risk, without capturing her love for cheap thrills. Ray is also a question mark, more than willing to share his world of illegalities with a stranger.

Logic, or at least understanding, isn’t important to “Harry in Your Pocket.” The production is more invested in the ways of pickpocketing, or the “wire mob,” spending most of its screentime on training montages, where the gang is assigned roles and sent out into the public, working on timing and switcheroos to keep marks disoriented with physical bumps and sleight of hand. The promise of such visual choreography enlivens Geller, who delivers compelling sequences of thievery, with Ray, Sandy, Casey, and Harry coming together a force of, well, evil, stripping tourists in Canada and America of their valuables with tremendous skill. “Harry in Your Pocket” embraces the underworld, focusing on jargon and position. Drama emerges from suspicion, with criminals unsure of other criminals. Geller treats the pickpocketing sequences as with uncharacteristic spirit, giving the scenes a cheery spin and snappy pace. Considering how the rest of the feature has trouble shifting out of neutral, it makes sense that these moments are precious to the helmer, who pushes to make all these fast fingers the most exciting parts of the movie.

Likability isn’t expected, but when dealing with criminal behaviors, charm is a requirement. “Harry in Your Pocket” is filled with dreary, nonsensical characters, finding the titular crook perhaps the blandest of them all. Coburn coasts in the role, depending on Harry’s acts of authority, losing his seductive side as attention turns to Sandy. As the couple drawn to a life of crime, Sandy and Ray share little chemistry, sprinting to the dynamic of a married couple shortly after meeting. The true mystery of the picture is why these two are even a couple, as Sandy shows clear disdain for her partner, while Ray also acts like he wants to be somewhere else. “Harry in Your Pocket” aspires to complicate the group dynamic with some bed swapping, but it’s difficult to feel anything for these thieves when they bring so much trouble on themselves.

Harry in Your Pocket! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries an encouraging amount of clarity, with adequate sharpness to take in the particulars of the pickpocket schemes. Costumes retain coarse texture and close-ups are detailed, along with the feature's various locations, giving a little extra depth to the travelogue portions of the picture. Colors keep their era-specific range, providing secure primaries. Skintones are natural. Delineation is strong, maintaining frame information as the gang enjoys a few evening events, and depths are never solid. Grain is fine and filmic. Source material shows signs of age, with speckling and scratches prominent, while a few chemical marks are detected. Some judder as well.

Harry in Your Pocket! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is problematic, with an irritating difference between music and voice. Dialogue exchanges are frequently muddy, lost in the bustle of locations, with a few passages lost completely unless volume is cranked all the way up. Trouble is, scoring is deafening and shrill, necessitating a steady hand on the dial to navigate between dramatic interests and montages. Atmospherics are thick, without definition. Hiss is present throughout.

Harry in Your Pocket! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:59, HD) is included.

Harry in Your Pocket! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Harry in Your Pocket" maintains a police presence to add suspense, and there's the question of Casey's coke habit, which carries stiffer penalties than any pickpocket job. Geller also shakes up expectation by staging the grand finale at horse show, which is not an event normally associated with easily duped tourists. Sections of the effort show promise, and the idea of a pickpocket picture is enticing, offered a peek behind the criminal curtain to see how scams are pulled off. "Harry in Your Pocket" just isn't that compelling a movie, clearly more invested in a visual articulation of unlawful behavior than a dramatic one.