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Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round
Columbia/Tri-Star // Unrated // September 30, 2003
List Price: $24.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
James Coburn stars as a con-artist who takes on a number of identities, and a number of female lovers, in a twisting plot that leads to his attempt to rob a bank located at the Los Angeles International Airport. Although the box cover describes this movie as a "comical crime caper", it's really not comical at all – but instead a drama that occasionally delves into some lightheartedness, simply because of how suave Coburn is playing the number of different personalities that he takes on in this movie.
Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round probably would have gotten lost as just another '60s crime caper were it not for the fact that Harrison Ford makes his acting debut in this movie. I have to give Columbia/Tri Star credit for not mentioning Ford on the box cover, but darned if they don't assign a chapter to him (number 11, for those interested), so fans can jump straight to his less than 60-second scene.
Of course, there's a great story about Harrison's first role that he has shared in several interviews (most notably his one with Barbara Walters) that is worth repeating here. Ford's agent at the time was apparently so upset with Harrison's acting in Dead Heat that he called the actor into his office for a meeting. As Ford puts it, the agent started yelling at him, stating that "When Tony Curtis made his screen debut, he played a grocery delivery boy. But you took one look at him in that role and you thought 'That's a movie star!'" – to which Ford replied, "I thought you were supposed to think that's a grocery delivery boy!"
But Dead Heat really is about Coburn, who shows why he was such a successful actor in this movie. He's believable in each of the characters he takes on…so much, than you're not even sure that Coburn's character at the beginning of the movie is the real character, or just another one of his assumed identities.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1, and although the transfer isn't that great, it's probably more than we could have expected for a film that is more of a historical footnote than a popular classic. The movie was released in 1966, and while I've seen better transfers of films from the mid-60's, I've seen a lot worse too.
Audio:
The audio here is presented in 2.0 Dolby, and sounds pretty good, considering it's only a 2.0 track. You won't get any of that "scratchiness" or "popping" sounds you do with some older movies, so once again a nice, if not spectacular, job.
Extras:
I suppose it's not surprising that this is almost a bare-bones release. Other than a chapter selection and a subtitle selection, the only extras are two Trailers, one for 1975's Hard Times (where Coburn co-starred with Charles Bronson) and the other for 1976's Murder by Death.
THE BOTTOM LINE
For even the most die-hard Harrison Ford fans, this one is a mere curiosity. However, fans of James Coburn may want to pick this one up as a rental to take a look at one of his more interesting performances.
James Coburn stars as a con-artist who takes on a number of identities, and a number of female lovers, in a twisting plot that leads to his attempt to rob a bank located at the Los Angeles International Airport. Although the box cover describes this movie as a "comical crime caper", it's really not comical at all – but instead a drama that occasionally delves into some lightheartedness, simply because of how suave Coburn is playing the number of different personalities that he takes on in this movie.
Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round probably would have gotten lost as just another '60s crime caper were it not for the fact that Harrison Ford makes his acting debut in this movie. I have to give Columbia/Tri Star credit for not mentioning Ford on the box cover, but darned if they don't assign a chapter to him (number 11, for those interested), so fans can jump straight to his less than 60-second scene.
Of course, there's a great story about Harrison's first role that he has shared in several interviews (most notably his one with Barbara Walters) that is worth repeating here. Ford's agent at the time was apparently so upset with Harrison's acting in Dead Heat that he called the actor into his office for a meeting. As Ford puts it, the agent started yelling at him, stating that "When Tony Curtis made his screen debut, he played a grocery delivery boy. But you took one look at him in that role and you thought 'That's a movie star!'" – to which Ford replied, "I thought you were supposed to think that's a grocery delivery boy!"
But Dead Heat really is about Coburn, who shows why he was such a successful actor in this movie. He's believable in each of the characters he takes on…so much, than you're not even sure that Coburn's character at the beginning of the movie is the real character, or just another one of his assumed identities.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1, and although the transfer isn't that great, it's probably more than we could have expected for a film that is more of a historical footnote than a popular classic. The movie was released in 1966, and while I've seen better transfers of films from the mid-60's, I've seen a lot worse too.
Audio:
The audio here is presented in 2.0 Dolby, and sounds pretty good, considering it's only a 2.0 track. You won't get any of that "scratchiness" or "popping" sounds you do with some older movies, so once again a nice, if not spectacular, job.
Extras:
I suppose it's not surprising that this is almost a bare-bones release. Other than a chapter selection and a subtitle selection, the only extras are two Trailers, one for 1975's Hard Times (where Coburn co-starred with Charles Bronson) and the other for 1976's Murder by Death.
THE BOTTOM LINE
For even the most die-hard Harrison Ford fans, this one is a mere curiosity. However, fans of James Coburn may want to pick this one up as a rental to take a look at one of his more interesting performances.
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