When I read through the previous reviews for this film on IMDb, I noticed that quite a few folks thought this film was scant when it comes to script. This is absolutely the case, though at least having some excellent actors (Paul Newman and Lee Marvin) makes it watchable."Pocket Money" has a very simple plot. Rancher Jim Kane (Newman) is having some seriously bad luck and is broke. However, a guy with a shady reputation (Strother Martin) wants to employ him to go down into Mexico in order to buy some cattle. Once he arrives in Mexico, he meets up with his old friend Leonard (Marvin) and the two try to purchase cattle. However, LOTS of complications arise and a seemingly simple job turns sour."Pocket Money" is a very slow film that appears as if it was made up as the movie was being filmed. Sure, it might have had more to the script than that, but it sure didn't look like it did. But, with some actors (especially Paul Newman), I can live with this. Certainly not among the actors' best but a decent time-passer--plus you get to see Lee Marvin riding a horse while wearing a suit--and you can't see that every day.By the way, a couple songs (including the title song) are sung by Carole King. I really don't think these fit the movie well, as her style of singing and voice seem odd in a film set in Arizona and Mexico among cattle.

Paul Newman and Lee Marvin of the daily work in the pocket of the Rider to make a existence on the new day's in Horse Riding. The making of the film shortly after the high lights of the Vietnam War gave a lightness to the audience in Newman and Marvin sense of display of Comedy. A old play to the scene came out with Dr Starr - the 1930's Singing Cowboy, Rider and Roper also used in name Dusty Starr, who could wrestle ~ resell ~ a cow in seconds as well as with a fist in fights he added to the fight for a pocket full of money to exist on. Lee Marvin comic approach to has own acting on how to talk to Paul Newman with hands and arms and his shoulder in how to attend to daily existence in gaining their own money for their pocket.

Jim Kane is broke and in debt, he seems to permanently be chasing the dollar. He gets an opportunity to earn some cash by collecting some Rodeo Cattle from Mexico for shady rancher Bill Garrett, he grabs his old pal Leonard, and they set about delivering the goods without incident, but all roads are not as straight forward as they had hoped.It's something of a dream pairing, dashing blue eyed Paul Newman and gritty grizzled Lee Marvin together in an off kilter Western, sounds just delightful, but sadly the film doesn't meet the expectations of the two stars blustering reputations. But that doesn't mean the film is a total washout, because it isn't, it's got a charm and gentile comedy riff to it that makes it enjoyable to those prepared for something, well, off kilter. Based on the J.P.S. Brown novel titled Jim Kane, Pocket Money finds Newman playing against type, his Jim Kane is a simple minded {but top line honest} fella, he bumbles his way thru life seemingly unable to halt the misfortunes that come his way. Lee Marvin also plays against the roles he is known for, his Leonard here is shifty and sweet, nervously twitchy with a misadventure glint in his eye, and certainly comical and vociferous in equal measure. Both Jim & Leonard on the surface seem to be a very odd couple, but they really compliment each other, be it good or bad, they are like two peas in a pod.There some lovely shots in here to enjoy, director Stuart Rosenberg (Cool Hand Luke) nicely portrays perhaps the soon to be dying art of cattle driving across the vast plains, the closing shot is particularly fabulous and a fitting closure. The supporting actors work tremendously hard to keep the movie afloat. Strother Martin is sadly under used as the sleazy Garrett, but his time on screen isn't wasted in the slightest, Wayne Rogers as Garrett's right hand man, Stretch Russell, almost steals the film with attention holding scenes, whilst Hector Elizondo as usual does the solid work that was his trait.Pocket Money is in the main forgettable once viewed, but for me it never felt like it had wasted my time, and I personally got the feeling that both Newman & Marvin enjoyed working on the picture, they had fun, and so should the majority of the viewers if slipping into a quirky mindset. 6/10

Rosenberg's film is a contemporary Western comedy about Jim Kane, a good-natured, absurd1y naive, overly honest, bumbling Texas cowboy who owns a pickup truck on its last wheels, is behind in alimony and bank payments, and consistently makes bad bargains… Desperate for money, he goes to Mexico to bring back cattle for a rodeo supplier who's crooked, but whom the ever-trusting Jim likes… He does everything wrong, so his old pal Leonard (Lee Marvin) decides to he1p him… Leonard's the opposite type: a showy, crafty, fancy-pants dude who dreams of getting rich, considers himself an authority on Mexicans and hustles everyone in sight…"Pocket Money" deliberately works against Newman's image; never before has he played such an ingenuous and inept loser… Speaking with a high, nasal draw1, acting like an adolescent, looking constantly bewildered and wearing jeans that make him look bowlegged, he's rather funny if occasionally self-conscious… Marvin's part, with its clear, loud comedy, is showier; Newman mostly behaves quietly and tosses out flip lines… At one point he is more animated, and irately tosses a TV set out of a motel window to get back at a man who's cheated them… It's the new Western's equivalent of the old Western's cathartic showdown at high noon—a perfect, anti-heroic act of a modern anti-hero