Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Silver Streak Blu-ray Movie Review

Worse than gold, better than bronze.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 10, 2013

It's something of a surprise that more films don't make use of trains as primary locations. Think of the symbolism, juxtaposition, and, while not endless possibilities, plenty of opportunity for action, suspense, and drama in confined conditions. The vehicle itself is something of a fascinating paradox. It's intimidating on the outside. It's huge, fast, heavy, and practically unstoppable once it gets moving. Contrast that to the inside. There, it's cramped, unwelcoming, and nearly inescapable. Its exterior symbolizes power and progress. Inside, it's a world of convenience, not luxury, of limitations, not freedom. Silver Streak does well in capitalizing on its primary delivery system, using the train not so much in interesting ways but certainly taking advantage of the various opportunities they afford a movie. It's speed, muscle, and close-quarters meets a classic whodunit style intermixed with a bit comic mayhem along the way. Brilliant cinema this is not, but Silver Streak at least rumbles forward as solid entertainment with only a few brief derailments along the way.

We really should be drinking the Silver Bullet while riding on the Silver Streak.

"How-To" book Publisher George (Gene Wilder) is traveling by train -- the so-called "Silver Streak" from Los Angeles to Chicago -- for his sister's wedding. His goal for the two-and-one-half day journey? Rest and relaxation, to "grow bored." Unfortunately, boredom's the last thing he'll find on this ride. He makes several acquaintances, including a vitamin pitch man and sex addict named Bob (Ned Beatty) who rides the train because he believes it increases his chances with women. He also meets the sexy Hilly (Jill Clayburgh) with whom he shares an intimate dinner and uncovers a whole lot of sexual chemistry. They retreat to their adjoining cabins for a little hanky-panky, but their lovemaking is interrupted when George spots a body briefly hanging in front of the window. Did he really see it, or was it an alcohol-influenced hallucination? The next morning, he happens upon the identity of the man he believed he saw: Professor Shiner, author of a new book on Rembrandt and Hilly's boss. The more George sticks his nose into his private investigation, the more entangled he becomes in a wider conspiracy.

Silver Streak boils down to the story of a fairly boring man finding himself caught in the middle of scorching romance, possible alcohol-induced delusions, conspiracy, danger, intrigue, and murder. He becomes a man on the run with nowhere, really, to run to, which is why the film almost necessarily ejects from him from the train, not only to increase the action quotient but to create a unique little scenario where the man on the run inside an inescapable death trap actually does all he can to return to it, and on more than one occasion. That's part of the charm and part of the problem. The film largely repeats the same thing three different times, but every one is uniquely different with more riding on the return and the consequences with each ejection. That keeps the repetitiveness up but at the same time the dullness to a minimum. Certainly, the film feels a little overcooked at times, but the quirky characters, a number of twists and turns, and an exciting finale all push the movie beyond its limits and help create a fun little diversion with big ambitions that, for the most part, are nicely realized.

Silver Streak enjoys evenhanded direction from Arthur Hiller (Love Story). He doesn't overwhelm the picture with his presence but instead allows it to play out before him, capturing the action and telling the story, not defining it. The cast is excellent. Wilder turns in a quality performance, one in which he's neither too naive, out of his league, or comically overwhelmed and unprepared for what he must do but also not so stout or heroic that the character loses his grounded, emotional edge and "everyman" sort of quality. Ned Beaty is terrific as a fairly sleazy, sex-craved train companion with a secret, while Jill Clayburgh does sexy and seductive very well to start and flows with the film wonderfully thereafter. However, it's Richard Pryor who delivers the film's most memorable performance (doesn't he always?). Sure, he embraces an era stereotype, but it serves a purpose in the film, whether in his effort to disguise George or fool his foes into believing he's one of the train's porters. Silver Streak is probably best known, however, as the first screen pairing of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, a classic match that would see them come together in several more films in the following years, including fan favorites Stir Crazy and See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

Silver Streak Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Silver Streak's high definition presentation isn't at all bad, but neither is it really all that impressive. The 1.85:1-framed transfer shows decent clarity and details. Facial textures are serviceably defined, and the train's metal exterior details and interior wooden panels look nice enough. The image appears a bit flat and certainly shows some age. Grain is rather heavy, and there's a bit of noise mixed in to go along with some general print wear, largely in the form of speckles and vertical lines. Colors are nether vibrant nor bland, showing basic hues nicely enough but not pushing a more realistic and varied palette. Black levels aren't awful; there's only a hint of murkiness to them. Flesh tones look slightly warm, generally. This budget Blu-ray won't dazzle fans or videophiles, but it delivers an adequate watching experience.

Silver Streak Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Silver Streak's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack never excels and never impresses. It has its moments of serviceability and subpar performance, and striving for mediocrity seems to be its ceiling. The track beings miserably, offering tinny sound effects and hollow dialogue. It does pick up a bit after the first few minutes, finding better balance across the stage and enhanced, but still disappointing, clarity and presence. Whether locomotive steam, the train whistle, or even the stock 1970s-style gunfire, there's simply an absence of precision, realism, and stage-filling authority. Fortunately, dialogue does find better focus, presence, and accuracy, leaving behind the muddled opening minutes in favor of what is at least a clear presentation. Despite the "5.1" encode, there's not any major surround use or even moody background ambience. For a dirt-cheap presentation, though, it's about as expected.

Silver Streak Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Silver Streak contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion. The English SDH subtitles from previous Anchor Bay/Fox catalogue releases have been removed.

Silver Streak Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Silver Streak certainly doesn't reshape the cinema landscape, but it offers a decent little time-killing adventure with light comedy backing up a fairly standard whodunit murder mystery/conspiracy plot. The film enjoys quality direction and an excellent cast, notable as the first of several memorable pairings of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Anchor Bay's featureless Blu-ray release of a 20th Century Fox catalogue title delvers decent video and mediocre audio. Worth a rental or a purchase at a major discount.