Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

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Audience Member Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (rental) is 1966 set heist film. The heist is the pretty barebones and occurs in the final 20 minutes. Most of the film is James Coburn "seducing" women as a con artist to rob them. This usually involves an elaborate backstory and a silly accent. Enjoyment of the film would depend largely on nostalgia for the late sixties and an appreciation for the charms of James Coburn as sex symbol (I don't have either of theses things). A very young Harrison Ford pops up for a few seconds (in his first role) as a bellhop. 1 1/2 stars out of 5 (but it has aged poorly and will continue to do so). The film is misogynistic and Coburn's character comes across more caddish than cool. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member This was a good movie with a good twist. Even though you knew James Coburn's character was a cad, you had to enjoy the ending where he lost everything of value as he saw the success of his plan. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member James Coburn is suave, yes, but can his personality carry an entire movie when the plot takes a leisurely meandering course to get to where it's going? Methinks not. If this were a character study rather than a heist film, then we should learn a bit more about Coburn's raisons d'etre. Instead, this is all just a slow build to the ironic but otherwise underwhelming conclusion. Coburn is a master manipulator who gets himself paroled from prison and then embarks on a mission to secure enough cash to buy the blueprints for a bank that he plans to hold up. The timing will be just right, as the Soviet premier is landing in Los Angeles and causing a big commotion. Watch as the plot slowly slowly slowly unspools. Not bad, not good. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Tough guy James Coburn dully drags through a crime caper of epicly dull proportions. A con man (Coburn) is released from jail just to start planning for his next hit. Not much of anything to get excited about but not as bad as it might have been with a lesser actor in the lead. The only reason to give it a try if for the 5 second cameo by Harrison Ford in his first role as a bell hop. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Great sixties stuff, underrated. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Fun, though a rather involved and possibly over-complicated plot involving James Coburn as a con man planning an airpot heist the same day the Russian Premier is landing at LAX. It's not as campy as the "Flint" films, but it's still a pretty good time. You also get to see Harrison Ford in her first film role playing an an uncredited bellboy. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

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