Fitfully funny film, too checkered by raw violence to establish a humorous mood or a successful spoof. The first part is the best, resembling a Hitchcock picaresque where an ordinary guy gets in over-his-head and has to prove himself capable. The early rail scenes with a perfectly cast Beatty are a hoot. He's every bulging inch the carousing salesman, while his attempt to pick up sweetie Clayburgh is another hoot. Wilder too manages well, though no Cary Grant in the romantic department. Highlight too is the giant Richard Kiel's sudden appearance in the cramped passageway. His metallic mouth still has me under the covers. And catch grandma's cross-country flying service. From the looks of her spiffy bi-plane she could go one-on-one with the fabled Red Baron.But once the violent clash part takes over, the humor dilutes, and that's despite hip comedian Pryor's late addition. Then too, the extended shootout between cops and robbers is about as convincing as one of those old cowboy matinees where a thousand rounds maybe hits a couple targets. And for a movie that treats violence seriously, that's a drawback. Except for this sequence, special effects are gripping, especially the culminating train crash that's nothing less than spectacular. All in all, it looks like the runtime was padded with repetitive antics to get a feature length production. Nevertheless, with a tighter screenplay and a softening of the violence, the basic idea could be memorable. As things stand, however, the results are mainly for fans of Wilder and Pryor.

Gene Wilder cemented his place in most fans hearts with the triumvirate of Willy Wonka ('71), Blazing Saddles ('74), and Young Frankenstein ('74). Wilder remained a bankable talent right up into the early 2000's because, yes, he was a decent actor and was very accessible and easy to like. One thing I've never noticed but finally got was that Wilder may have had the best timing of any actor of his age. To say there was a slide in quality in material isn't really unkind, just true. However in that mediocrity there was some really watchable stuff. There was some definite chemistry with Richard Pryor which on paper probably didn't translate nearly as well as on screen. It was a goldmine combination and remained a favorite of both actors fans They milked it a bit and, generally, it was great at times allowing such. Silver Streak is the first movie I, personally, ever noticed the Wilder/Pryor combination. It certainly elevated an otherwise rambling movie. In Silver Streak it was the characters,not so much the story, as the story was a bit weak. Weak, but it gave Wilder's George the opportunity to meet some memorable characters, which besides Pryor"s Grover T, include a dust bowl woman (the great Lucille Benson from my home state) who flew an open cockpit airplane and continuously called George "Steve". The reoccurring roles of "Plain Jane", "the Mexican Mamacita", and even a great muscle/henchman Reace played by Richard Kiel. Kiel would play essentially the same role in two James Bond films that he created in Silver Streak.I was a fan of Patrick McGoohan from surreal odd British "The Prisoner" TV series. McGoohan here is the very sinister Devreau whose mission on the train is to kill a professor thus preventing Devereau's fraud in the art world from being exposed. Murder on a train is good even if the story may ramble. In other words there was a lot of potential that seemed to be only touched on because, after all, it was a comedy not a drama.So, I give this movie a six because I liked enough that 40 years later after initially seeing it on December 27th, 1976 I decided, in memory of Wilder, to watch it again. This was one of the last movies that I saw the name Henry Mancini as providing the soundtrack. It was interesting choice, an almost out of time and place soundtrack, that worked as it was one of the things I remembered about the movie

Okay, but not the best Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor movie, and quite easily that. Main problem is that Richard Pryor only has a supporting role, and only appears in the second half of the movie. Plus, the movie has pretensions of being a mystery-thriller, rather than an out-and-out comedy.Overall, reasonably entertaining, with flashes of hilarity and periods of dullness and silliness. The hilarious parts usually involve Richard Pryor, though Gene Wilder has his moments too. Good support from Jill Clayburgh, who provides the romantic interest. Supporting cast includes Ned Beatty and Patrick McGoohan, both of whom put in decent performances. Richard Kiel is very noticeable as the henchman. His next role was as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Ordinarily I don't care for either Gene Wilder or Richard Pryor but this material is fresh and refreshing. There are references to Hitchcock everywhere - Number 17, The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps and North by Northwest to mention only a few. And doing something in the Hitchcock vein with suspense and comedy as partners is a great idea - not remaking a Hitchcock movie which seems to be the fad nowadays.Mancini's score is superb, the best of the best, and the actors are all in top form. Ray Walston has one of the funniest lines I've heard recently. It keeps the audience guessing what's going to come up and surprising them time and time again. Curtis Stotlar