There are certain movies that make for perfect fare on certain occasions. One of the occasions that provides for an excellent movie viewing atmosphere is on those Sunday afternoons when you find yourself hung over with someone sprawled across your bed, floor or couch that you may or may not have had sexual relations with. When this happens, you need a movie to watch, and Silver Streak is a good choice under these circumstances.
It starts with a ride on a train. People often choose to travel by train for the peace, tranquility and the familiar clackety-clack sound made by choo choo trains when they travel down tracks. Sometimes, as in Alfred Hitchcock movies, and so forth, that peace and quiet is disturbed by murder.
"We'll make it past the cops. I just hope we don't see no Muslims."
This film was directed by Arthur Hiller, who directed some other films over the years, written by Colin Higgins, who knows how to use a typewriter, and wrote and directed The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Foul Play (another film from the genre of films to watch when you have a hangover with a barely coherent person around you may have slept with). Music is by Henry Mancini (who may or may not have slept with our friend here at E2, shaogo), and casting was by Lynn Stalmaster (who I sometimes talk to riverrun obsessively about for no apparent reason). So, you have that to go on.
You also have the first official pairing of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in a movie, and mostly the movie is only funny when they are both on the screen together. You have Jill Clayburgh as the "accidental" love interest of Gene Wilder's character, which sets our plot in motion, one that involves the need to destroy some letters written by Rembrandt long before we had this whole Da Vinci Code nonsense going on.
So, what you got is another one of them movies where two dudes who make a mismatched pair running pel mel around the country trying to make sense of a story they only know bits and pieces of, and they keep getting thrown off the train, a train known as The Silver Streak (and thus the title of the film). What else do you get with your purchase and/or viewing of this film?
- You get to see Richard Kiel (later famous for playing "Jaws" during the weak James Bond period) throw people off a train.
- You get to see Ray Walston, once a favorite Martian, later known as Mr. Hand, order people thrown off trains.
- You get to see Patrick McGoohan acting really evil and talking about burning down buildings and killing people to make art more valuable.
- You get to see Ned Beatty promoting Vitamin E as a the 1970s answer to Viagra.
- You get Clifton James, once again in the role of bumbling sheriff he made a career of (and the same man who, as pointed out to me by tkeiser talks about "If you play grab-ass, you spend a night in the box" in Cool Hand Luke)
- You get entertaining appearances by BOTH Scatman Crothers AND Fred Willard!
- The film is something of a comedic send up of North by Northwest
- And, did I mention, you get to see people thrown off trains AND milking cows?
So, go out, get drunk and bring someone home with you. Before you go out for the evening, rent, buy or steal a copy of THIS movie. Then, drink way too much, come home, drink some more, get chips and salsa all over the floor, completely trash the kitchen, throw up in the bathroom and miss the bowl, make sure you will not remember whether or not you had sexual relations with the person you brought home and that they won't either, and once you wake up and participate in whatever "pull yourself together" rituals you are accustomed to, pop this movie into the DVD or VHS or Beta tape player, whatever you got, I am not judgmental and see what happens.
Please use protection when engaging in potential sexual relations with drunk people, because even if you don't remember if you "did it" or not, herpes is forever.