SNMR 2.11: "Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" (1966, 104 min, NR), starring James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, Nina Wayne, Robert Webber and Todd Armstrong. The film was directed by Bernard Girard.

This is the film where Harrison Ford makes his big screen debut, an uncredited ten second appearance as a bellhop. It was for this reason that I purchased this DVD. I've never seen this film before tonight. The only actor in it (Ford's cameo doesn't count) that I recognize is James Coburn.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

James Coburn stars as Eli Kotch, a captivating rogue and full-time con man in this comical crime caper also featuring Aldo Ray and Camilla Sparv.
In prison, Kotch cleverly seduces an attractive psychologist to win parole. Once out, he immediately goes to work, planning a major bank robbery at the Los Angeles International Airport. The logistics of the heist call for imaginative thinking, so Kotch hires an electronics wizard, charms Inger Knudsen (Sparv) into marriage, and recruits Eddie Hart (Ray) to work the airport as a disguised policeman. Once everything is set, the determined Coburn is ready to blast into action. But will his scheme really land him the loot he's looking for, or will his dreams wind up in a Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round?

From Martin & Poerter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p. 274:

Thoroughly engrossing film depicts the heist of an airport bank. Not a breezy caper flick, it unfolds a complex plot in a darkly intelligent manner. The cast is impeccable. James Coburn delivers one of his most effective performances.

Over all, this was a decent film but a bit slow. The plot took too long to build and the very last scene left me with a "what was that for?" question. It almost seemed like there was going to be another scene or that this last scene was tacked onto the end of the film. I would have edited it differently and added a bit more to close up that loose end. This 40 year old film is notable because of Harrison Ford's uncredited cameo film debut. I'll give this film two and a half out of five stars.