The movie I remembered was, obviously, Silver Streak. I'm typically a sucker for anything Gene Wilder, and Silver Streak is no exception. This is the first time I've seen the movie in full, and it didn't quite live up to my expectations. But how could it? Gene Wilder! Richard Prior! A murder mystery! A train! Hearing the premise on the back of the box made me think of Hitchcock's near-perfect thriller, Strangers on a Train. They even wanted me to think it! Here, listen:"In this wild comedy adventure, rail passenger George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) finds that a romantic escapade with a sultry secretary (Jill Clayburgh) puts him in the middle of a Hitchcockian murder plot."
Hitchcockian. Nice. Sorry to say, the only way this plot could be considered Hitchcockian was if Hitchcock had been bashed in the head with a billy club and became partially mentally retarded. But then, I don't watch my Gene Wilder movies for the intrigue. I watch them for the wit.
There is nothing extremely brilliant about Silver Streak. It seems to be one of those movies that makes up for its lack of quality with its breadth of talent. There is a charisma about Gene Wilder that makes even the lamest comedies worth watching. Yes, See No Evil Hear No Evil, I'm looking in your direction. Richard Prior is consistently funny, even when he doesn't seem to be trying. There's a Steppin Fetchit routine that just knocked my socks off. It's a shame that neither of these comedians is working today (one's in some sort of retirement, the other is in some sort of coffin).
One of my favorite parts of the movie, upon first watching, probably wasn't meant to be funny. There is a scene at the beginning in which the female lead hits on Gene Wilder unsolicited, coming on in a way that is so unbelievably strong that you really believe she thought to herself, "There is something about that man and his untameable Jew-fro mane that just makes me want to SEX that." There's definitely a chemistry between the two actors, which is nice to see in something like a late seventies comedy caper (and would be nice to see in modern romances).Another funny part--although it's funny to the detriment of the picture--is the cop logic. Most movies have some level of blurred reality when it comes to police work, but Silver Streak may have the most bizarre moments of all. Cops will pull their gun on almost anybody, and this is evidenced throughout. This is no surprise, and it occurs in almost every movie ever made. Real cops just don't pull their guns unless they see a weapon. I think that's the rule. Anyway, after arresting George (Gene Wilder) under suspicion of murder, the police clear his name. Then, they GIVE HIM A GUN AND A BOX OF LIVE AMMUNITION. They armed a civilian and drove him to a firefight. Not only that, but they left him unprotected. All of the other police wear body armor as they approach the villain, but George is left in his fashionable sweater and a pair of nice slacks.
Minor problems, really, and one can appreciate a level of banality in a movie that includes a shuckin' and jivin' Gene Wilder in blackface. Catch it if it's on television, but pass on the buy unless you're a die-hard Gene Wilder fan, as Richard Pryor doesn't even enter until the halfway point.
I will leave you with my favorite quote from the movie, which will become my insult-of-choice assuming I can wrap my head around it enough to memorize it. "You stupid, ignorant, son-of-a-bitch dumb bastard!" Uh...take it easy, killer. Stay loose.
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