Ladrón y amante

This crime movie was only "fair," not worth owning if you are a collector, but worth checking out if you are a James Coburn fan. The title is a lot better than the story.

This is another of those mid-60s films that was Hollywood-in-transition, meaning it was just a year or so away from abolishing any moral codes. Here, we see casual sex accepted as okay and the bank robbers portrayed as the good guys, even though they are anything but good.

The female lead, Camilla Sparv, was a strange-looking lady who never really made it as a star. One can see why. It's also interesting to hear the language of the period with the police being called "the fuzz," etc.

James Coburn is fun to watch, but the rest of the cast is unmemorable, except that it marked the film debut of Harrison Ford, who plays a messenger boy in one quick scene. Other than that, the film provides few noteworthy memories which is probably one reason why there are so few reviews of this here.

I saw this film at the cinema in the 1960's and years later, although I had never forgotten the title of the film, I could not remember anything else about it. I decided, therefore, to buy the DVD and pay a long time return visit to this film. In it James Coburn plays a con-man and is at times quite amusing, but I must say, however, that the movie is rather tame and slow and pretty much forgettable. Still it brought back memories of a time now gone, but a time I often wish would return. If you are wanting thrills and excitement, then this film is not for you. However, for those of you who enjoy watching 1960's films then this rather overlooked movie is worth a look.

This film deals with a con-man named Eli Kotch, (James Coburn) who just gets out of prison and decides to lay out his ground work for a large bank robbery at the Los Angeles, California airport. Eli also knows that a Russian Prime Minister will be visiting Los Angeles and flying into the same airport which will distract the police force away from a bank holdup. Eli also meets up with a very sexy blonde named Inger Knudson, (Camilla Spary) who works for very rich people and cons her into doing all kinds of things, Eli even marries her with a fake ID. There is plenty of comedy and some tense moments in a police station. You will never be able to figure out how this picture will end. It will definitely surprise you. Enjoy.

FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Titles's Content and Context....´

In retrospect, I'll bet that when I bought this on DVD a few years ago, it had been re-released because of Harrison Ford's uncredited screen debut as a Bellboy (Although he was 23 when DEAD HEAT was filmed, he does look like a 19 year old "boy"!)

Ahhhh, There's the Rub! The FORD debut is precisely the reason I decided to purchase it! Well, also because I had seen it twice during its theatrical release at the age of 18 and enjoyed it immensely. Recently, I began compiling a list...."Movies that stand the test of time!", and I can assure you, most whole-heartedly, DEAD HEAT won't be on it!!!

This film is extremely dated, both in thematic and in stylistic terms. Even the dialog is peppered with terms you probably haven't heard in ages, like "The FUZZ", for example! (For those of you under 50, "The Police") Although, as usual, James Coburn's screen persona is delightful to watch, there are quite a few occurrences depicted here that stretch suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Perhaps not so much way back in 1966, but certainly now, half a century later! Coburn's character, Eli Kotch, seems to be 100% impervious to Murphy's Law. Everything goes exactly his way, every single time! In Spanish we say, "Mucha Pelicula!", ...."Just TOO much Movie"!

Despite some real heavyweight talent in the cast, like Aldo Ray, Robert Webber and Rose Marie, the mostly lackluster dialog makes for rather non-memorable performances all around. DEAD HEAT does have a number of interesting moments sprinkled throught its 100+ minute duration, but for a 2015 viewing, I would hesitate to recommend it other than to viewers pining for a little mid-60's Nostalgia!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

"Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" is probably mostly of interest to us nowadays due to Harrison Ford's bit part as a bellhop. Apparently, after the movie bombed, a producer told Ford: "Kid, you ain't got it." Of course, Ford went on to star in the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" trilogies, so he clearly had lots of "it".

Anyway, the movie casts James Coburn as ex-con Eli Kotch, plotting a heist in LAX while the Russian prime minister is visiting. Coburn seems to be mirroring his Derek Flint character, right down to being surrounded by hot babes (specifically Camilla Sparv and Nina Wayne). The good ol' Cold War, when the US and USSR could play all sorts of tricks on each other, and there were plenty of beauties to go around.

Overall, "DHOAMGR" isn't a great movie, but it's worth seeing. You may notice that playing Mrs. Kirby is Rose Marie, better known as Sally on "The Dick Van Dyke Show".

Nina Wayne. Hubba hubba...