Silver Streak

PG 6.9
1976 1 hr 54 min Comedy , Thriller , Crime , Romance

A somewhat daffy book editor on a rail trip from Los Angeles to Chicago thinks that he sees a murdered man thrown from the train. When he can find no one who will believe him, he starts doing some investigating of his own. But all that accomplishes is to get the killer after him.

  • Cast:
    Gene Wilder , Jill Clayburgh , Richard Pryor , Patrick McGoohan , Ned Beatty , Clifton James , Ray Walston

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Reviews

ThedevilChoose
1976/12/03

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

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Janae Milner
1976/12/04

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

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Bob
1976/12/05

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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Staci Frederick
1976/12/06

Blistering performances.

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Ian
1976/12/07

(Flash Review)This goofy movie was the first of 4 where Wilder and Pryor team up for comedic jollies. This has an old school James Bond type of story to it. While getting lovey-dovey with a woman he put the moves on in the bar car of the train, an unsuspecting fellow played by Wilder, gets caught up in what he thinks has been a murder on the train. To his surprise, the woman ends up being partially involved with the murder. Wanting to keep her safe, he begins to investigate what funny business is going on. After many unusual scenarios, Pryor enters the picture as a captured burglar. They team up to uncover the truth. Very funny stuff incorporated into a pretty good story which feels very 70's. Amazingly, Pryor doesn't use any profanity. And Jaws from James Bond makes an imposing appearance. A must see for Wilder & Pryor fans.

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hnt_dnl
1976/12/08

Although they did 4 films together, it is this film SILVER STREAK (1976) that is probably my favorite pairing of the 2 famous comedy icons Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor! Also, it is one of my personal favorite 70s movies. It is their first outing together and it is sublime from start to finish. A perfect mix of action, comedy, drama, mystery, and thriller (and even a touch or romance), it's one of those rare movies where every element works. "Silver Streak" stars the aforementioned Gene Wilder in probably my favorite ever role of his. Wilder plays George Caldwell, a nebbishy magazine writer on a cross-country train trip to Chicago trying to get to his sister's wedding. Once on board, the first night George meets Hilly (played with immense sex appeal and radiance by Jill Clayburgh). The duo hit it off immediately and as they are making love in Hilly's cabin, George thinks he witnesses a man being thrown off the train. Hilly tries to convince that it's only in his mind. The morning after, George sees a book on Rembrandt and on the back of it is the author, Prof. Schreiner, who Hilly is assistant to and who George recognizes as the man he thought he saw being murdered. George investigates and the mystery begins!During his investigation, George meets several memorable characters: a mysterious man named Devereau (played with panache and class by Patrick McGoohan of 'The Prisoner' fame) and his 2 cronies Whiney (played by the great character actor Ray Walston) and Reace (played by the iconic Richard Kiel of Bond movie fame), Rita (played by vet Lucille Benson, reprising her offbeat snake-lady-in-the-middle-of- nowhere role from "Duel"), travelling salesman Bob Sweet (reliably played by vet Ned Beatty), train conductor Ralston (played with comic aplomb by the iconic Scatman Crothers), country Sheriff Chauncey (hilariously played by Clifton James reprising his bumpkin- sheriff role from "Live and Let Die"), and last but not least thief Grover (essayed by the great Richard Pryor in a scene-stealing role). George teams with Grover at about the film's halfway mark to finish solving the mystery and this where the Wilder-Pryor chemistry begins.Much as I enjoy their zanier comedies, I think it's here where Wilder and Pryor's chemistry shines the most. Not too OTT, neither trying to upstage the other, but rather complementing each other's rather opposing comedy styles to create a memorable pairing. Also, Wilder and Clayburgh have great romantic chemistry, with Clayburgh being at her absolute hottest in this film!Of course, this is really Wilder's film all the way as he is the film's protagonist and is in virtually every scene of the film and we are following George's journey. "Silver Streak" is most probably reminiscent of the Hitchcock classic "North by Northwest" (man falsely accused of murder, on the run, train action, mistaken identity, international intrigue), but also there's the reminder of several James Bond films of the 70s (with actors like Kiel and Clifton playing similar roles from those), and of course is kind of a microcosm and preview of the buddy-comedy-action film that would become so prevalent in the 80s. A memorable, fun comedy-mystery from the 70s. Watch it, you won't be disappointed!

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Tim Kidner
1976/12/09

Arthur Hiller's 1976 film is the epitome - and one of the best and at times, the worst - example of what Hollywood came synonymous for in the 1970s.Ending with one of those truly great action set-pieces, when such were actually filmed and not with a computer mouse and starting out with the oh-so-smooth Gene Wilder getting his wicked way with the delectable Jill Clayburgh, an awful lot happens in-between.Taking - and featuring huge chunks of influence from James Bond (inc 'Jaws', the iron-toothed giant), Hitchcock (crime capers on moving trains, espionage, intrigue) and loads of over-the-top big Americanism, this is a rail-road coaster of a ride. You can see bits that have helped influence later films, too and the start of the delicious pairing between Wilder and black comedian Richard Pryor, which spilled out over into the future Stir Crazy and Blazing Saddles.Yes, a lot of it is nonsense - this is essentially Sunday afternoon TV fun, now. There's clever innuendo, dumb stunts, big scenery and baddies. It does pop up on Film 4 and Sky Movies every once in a while, showing that it is still has a place and though obviously looking pretty dated now, you can't go far wrong with this one.

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ShadeGrenade
1976/12/10

This crowd-pleasing suspense comedy was chosen for a Royal Film Premiere in 1977, and marked the first - and best - teaming of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. 'Silver Streak' was written by Colin Higgins, author of the splendid 'Harold & Maude' and directed by Arthur Hiller, responsible for - yuck - 'Love Story' ( also 1971 ). Had it been made fifteen years earlier, it most likely would have starred Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint or Grace Kelly. Wilder plays 'George Caldwell', a mild-mannered book editor who boards the Silver Streak express in Los Angeles, hoping for some peace and quiet. He does not get it. Firstly, sexy secretary 'Hilly Burns' ( the late Jill Clayburgh ) gives him the come on, and after they have made love he spots a dead man falling past his compartment window. Nobody believes him, especially when the 'victim' - 'Professor Schreiner' ( Stefan Gierasch ) - turns out to be still alive. The Professor is in the possession of 'the Rembrandt letters' proving beyond a doubt that a major art swindle has taken place, and that Roger Deveraux ( Patrick McGoohan ) is behind it. Schreiner has been murdered, and replaced by an impostor. After finding evidence, George is attacked by 'Reace' ( Richard Kiel, a year before menacing Roger Moore's 007 in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' ), and thrown bodily from the train...'Silver Streak' goes through several stylistic changes of gear, but they all work. The allusion to Hitchcock continues as George is suspected of having murdered federal agent 'Sweet' ( Ned Beatty ). Its about an hour into the picture when our hero steals a police car, only to find small-time thief 'Grover' ( Pryor ) is a passenger. Immediately, they establish a comedic rapport, becoming probably the screen's funniest comedy duo since Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Scenes like the one where George impersonates a black man in order to board the train would not probably have worked with anyone else. As international crook 'Devereau', McGoohan is both smooth and menacing ( as one would expect ). Another plus is Henry Mancini's music, that opening theme will stick in your head for days afterwards.Higgins stayed in pseudo-Hitchcock territory for his next picture ( which he directed ) 'Foul Play', starring Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, and Dudley Moore. Wilder and Pryor did a further four pictures together, the best of which was 'Stir Crazy' ( 1981 ). They re-teamed with Hiller in 1989 for the dire 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil'.Comedy, adventure film, love story, disaster movie - 'Silver Streak' is all these things, and more. In some ways, its the ultimate '70's movie.

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