Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round (1966)

Released from prison on parole, a conniving con man (James Coburn) plots a major bank robbery at the Los Angeles International Airport. The arrival of a major Russian political figure at the airport will provide a distraction to both police and the public. Directed by Bernard Girard (THE MAD ROOM), this heist thriller is too convoluted for its own good. There's a lot of fat that could have been trimmed. It takes too long getting to the action and spends too much time on superfluous incidents which have no bearing on the actual heist . Coburn's character is supposed to be a charming rogue but I found his character more of a smug scumbag. His character needed a more likable actor for us to be on his side but all I kept thinking was, "I hope he gets caught!". That being said, I did like the movie's "twist" finale, even though I felt sorry for Camilla Sparv as Coburn's wife. There's a decent underscore by Stu Phillips (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS). With Aldo Ray, Robert Webber, Rose Marie, Marian McCargo, Michael Strong, Phillip Pine, Todd Armstrong and in his film debut, Harrison Ford.