Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Midas Run Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 3, 2019

Alf Kjellin's "Midas Run" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and new audio commentary by critics Lee Gambin and Emma Westwood. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Partners

Producer Raymond Stross, who was married to Anne Heywood, made Midas Run as part of a deal that also included The Fox. It was supposed to be the ‘sure thing’ because he was apparently convinced that all he had to do to get a box office winner was copy the blueprint behind Stanley Donen’s Charade and Arabesque. He must have thought that he could also get it done on a budget, which seems like the only logical explanation for his decision to team up with Swedish-born director Alf Kjellin, who at the time was trying to establish himself in Hollywood.

Fred Astaire plays John Pedley, an aging British Secret Service agent who feels that his hard work over the years has remained unnoticed. To get the appreciation that his country owes him, as well as a proper financial bonus that will allow him to enjoy the rest of his life in style, Pedley masterminds a brilliant plan. In Venice, he approaches the ambitious but struggling writer Mike Warden (Richard Crenna) and convinces him to participate in an elaborate heist at the end of which a jetliner owned by the British government will lose $10 million dollars in gold. Soon after, the two are joined by the freshly scorned but ready for adventure wife Sylvia Giroux (Heywood), who instantly adds a great deal of class to the operation and in the process awakens Warden’s desire to be in a ‘meaningful relationship’. Pedley then hires various shady ‘experts’ to assist them during the heist and after the gold is removed from the jetliner.

After a few surprises force Pedley’s team to improvise, the jetliner prematurely lands at a secluded location and its precious load is stolen. In London, the head of the Secret Service, Lord Henshaw (Ralph Richardson), hits the panic button and demands that the two most brilliant minds in the agency, Pedley and the ambitious youngster Wister (Roddy McDowall), immediately go to work and figure out where the gold is. Much to Lord Henshaw’s delight, Pedley then quickly deconstructs the operation that he has put together, but Wister becomes suspicious of his deductive skill and eventually declares that the hijackers could have succeeded only with the help of an insider. Meanwhile, a powerful mafia boss (Adolfo Celi) is arrested while trying to acquire a portion of the stolen gold and when the news reaches Pedley’s team a few of its clueless members begin improvising again. Instead of joining them, in the ensuing chaos Warden and his beautiful assistant suddenly discover true love.

Midas Run was almost certainly a lot of fun to shoot, but despite the impressive cast that committed to it the end product quite simply does not have the quality of the two Donen films that apparently inspired it. And the reason for the disappointment is actually very easy to identify -- it is Kjellin. Simply put, what he does with the camera here only occasionally looks right and as a result the talent of the stars is rarely noticeable. Indeed, instead of making the heist look attractive in a particular way, Kjellin produces mostly random sequences that rely on meaningless events to impress. For example, there is a love-making sequence with Heywood and Crenna that is so long that it actually feels like it was done exclusively for Stross’ enjoyment. It is completely out of sync with the rest of the film. Karl-Otto Alberty’s dim-witted Nazi pilot is then used for some action footage that is flat-out ridiculous. In the middle of a crucial negotiation, Celi’s high-profile player also gets lost in a philosophical tirade that makes him look insane. This is just random material that cannot produce a cohesive film.

There are a few glimpses of Venice and a lovely beach that add a bit of the period flavor that usually makes these types of genre films attractive, but they are instantly forgettable. The whole project was a wasted opportunity.

Midas Run Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alf Kjellin's Midas Run arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K remaster and even though it conveys some minor fluctuations in terms of density and overall color stability the film looks very healthy and attractive in high-definition. A lot of the panoramic footage for instance boast lovely depth; close-ups usually look good as well (see screencapture #5 and 15). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, so even though you are likely to notice some minor grain movement/fluctuations in areas where the elements that were scanned were not in optimal condition, you will be very happy with their overall strong organic appearance. The color grading is excellent. The primaries are rich and there are very nice ranges of supporting nuances. A few very light background pulsations are noticeable, but they will not affect your viewing experience. Image stability is very good. My score if 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Midas Run 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 not provided for the main feature.

Generally speaking, the dialog is easy to follow. However, there are a couple of areas where it becomes a bit too thin for my taste, and in one particular sequence it feels like the surrounding noise was toned down. The effect is difficult to describe, and I don't know if it is inherited, but this leads me to believe that the audio was basically transferred 'as is', without enhancement or rebalancing work. Optional English SDH subtitles should have been provided for people that need them.

Midas Run Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Midas Run. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - critics Lee Gambin and Emma Westwood explain how Midas Run was conceived and then discuss what they believe are the film's streetlights and weaknesses.

Midas Run Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I like the concept behind Midas Run and the cast that made it, but Alf Kjellin's direction is hugely disappointing. To be honest, I just don't think that the material he shot can produce a cohesive film of the kind that producer Raymond Stross apparently desired, which makes the fact that he was allowed to complete it very puzzling. All in all, the entire project is instantly forgettable. Kino Lorber's new release is sourced from a good 4K remaster.