Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 7, 2023

Bernard Girard's "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I don't know how you got into town, but you're going to have one hell of a time getting out.

In the real world, James Coburn could not have seduced all the beautiful women that he sleeps with in Dead Heat in a Merry-Go-Round. After several drinks, one could have temporarily found him irresistible and made a mistake, but not all of them. I am sorry, but I must point out this minor yet very important detail because Coburn’s sex appeal is at the center of the story that is told in the film.

Coburn’s first target is a smart and astonishingly elegant prison psychologist (Marian McCargo) who helps him get approved for early parole in exchange for his love. Several days after he is released from prison and just as many nights full of sexual fireworks, Coburn abandons his savior and arrives in L.A. to do a very big job that will allow him to retire in style on the other side of the border. But to organize the big job Coburn needs to spend big money, so he sets up several scams across the country to collect the capital he needs. Coburn’s most beautiful target (Camilla Sparv) emerges in Boston but turns out to be from Sweden and unexpectedly melts his heart, and even though she is only a poor secretary to an aging millionaire, he very quickly marries her -- while using an alias of course. Then, after lying to her that their future is in L.A. because he has a special talent that can be properly appreciated there, she is tricked to abandon her wealthy employer.

In L.A., Coburn begins organizing the job with several trusted associates. (One of them is the always reliable character actor Aldo Ray). While working with a stolen blueprint, the men design a plan to rob a local bank’s busiest branch at Los Angeles International Airport. They choose to do it during a highly-publicized event everyone expects will temporarily transform Los Angeles International Airport into a madhouse -- the arrival of the new Prime Minister of the U.S.S.R.

If you approach Bernard Girard’s Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round expecting that it would match the quality of some of the greatest capers you have seen over the years, prepare to be disappointed. It is not that kind of a brilliant film. It is not that kind of an ambitious film either. It is a project the prolific producer Harry Alan Towers would have loved to fund just so that later he could claim that he was able to work with a big-time American star like Coburn.

But Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round is not a misfire. In fact, its only major flaw is its insistence to accept Coburn as a suave chameleon that rivals the one Pierce Brosnan will play a few decades later in The Thomas Crown Affair. Coburn is a bit too old for the part, and even by 1960s standards does not look particularly elegant when he must, so the magic that happens between him and his targets looks entirely scripted. The rest looks good. For example, Girard chooses quite a few great locations that make Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round appear like a much bigger film than it was. While hardly original, the light humor is always in sync with the heavy period atmosphere that gives Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round its identity as well. The mandatory twist at the end provides a great exclamation point, too.

If you decide to see Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, you should do it on a night when you have the time to do a double bill with Bruce Geller’s Harry in Your Pocket!. In the latter, Coburn is an authentic chameleon and member of a very creative crew of pickpockets that hit several major cities in the United States and Canada. This film has a very heavy period atmosphere, too. It is better acted and shot as well.

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The master that was used to prepare this release produces dated visuals. However, I like the overall quality of the presentation quite a lot. Why? Because there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Yes, in some areas grain can be better exposed, and yes, in some areas highlights should be more convincing. However, delineation, clarity, and depth are always pleasing. Color balance is good, though this is another area where adjustments can be made to ensure that a few primaries and supporting nuances are even more convincing. (Blues, whites, and greens are the ones that need to be adjusted). Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes and marks, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio track is excellent. In fact, I was quite surprised at how good it sounded on my system because I could not detect any traces of aging. If in the future the film is remastered and the audio is redone by the folks at Sony Pictures, I have to speculate that the improvements, if there are any, will be insignificant. Can I be wrong? Yes. However, on my system the current track performed exceptionally well.

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round is not a brilliant caper that somehow people forgot about. It is a small caper that works with good but predictable material which you probably are not going to remember in a couple of days. But this does not mean that it is not entertaining. It is entertaining and has a lovely period appearance. If you decide to see it, do so on a night when you have plenty of time to check out Harry in Your Pocket! as well. James Coburn is in both films and I think that they complement each other very well. RECOMMENDED.