History Film / SilverStreak

* MeaningfulName: Bob Sweet is a jovial, friendly, talkative and somewhat buffoonish guy [[spoiler: on the surface.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The Feds tell George that Devereau once crashed a plane full of passengers to kill one man, in order to cover up a crime. [[spoiler:When his original plan is derailed, Devereau resorts to crashing the train into the station to cover up his tracks.]]

* HarpoonGun: George finds one in the cargo car before confronting Reace on top of the Silver Streak and shoots him with it.

-->'''Grover''': [[Film/BlazingSaddles What do you think this is, a western?]]

--> '''Grover:''' "[[LampshadeHanging What do think this is,]] [[BottomlessMagazines a Western]]?"

* NoHonorAmongThieves: Devereau barely cares about what happened to Reace, and is amused when George tells him "I shot him." Later, when Whiney is injured in the shootout and is desperately trying to get back on board the train, Devereau stomps on his hand instead of helping him.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Every official in the movie besides the Feds is thoroughly unhelpful in getting the plot rolling, forcing George to do almost everything himself. Even the Feds themselves run into this: when they – the ''police'' – call Chicago dispatch to warn them of the runaway train in the climax, they're met with a smarmy and incredulous middleman who refuses to cooperate until he gets absolute proof from his own people, and then can't even help them after he does. He does eventually pick up the pace in finding his boss, who happens to be taking his break in the most remote part of the station.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Every official in the movie besides the Feds is thoroughly unhelpful in getting the plot rolling, forcing George to do almost everything himself. Even the Feds themselves run into this: when they – the ''police'' – call Chicago station to warn them of the runaway train in the climax, they're met with a smarmy and incredulous middleman who refuses to cooperate until he gets absolute proof from his own people, and then can't even help them after he does. He does eventually pick up the pace in finding his boss, who happens to be taking his break in the most remote part of the station.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Every official in the movie besides the Feds is thoroughly unhelpful in getting the plot rolling, forcing George to do almost everything himself. Even the Feds themselves run into this: when they - the ''police'' - call Chicago station to warn them of the runaway train in the climax, they're met with a smarmy and incredulous middleman who refuses to cooperate until he gets absolute proof from his own people, and then can't even help them after he does. He does eventually pick up the pace in finding his boss, who happens to be taking his break in the most remote part of the station.

* RunawayTrain: Devereau has his men disable the brakes, as they prepare their escape.

A 1976 comedy/action/mystery film directed by Creator/ArthurHiller, written by Colin Higgins, and starring Creator/GeneWilder, Jill Clayburgh, Creator/RichardPryor, and Creator/PatrickMcGoohan.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/TheLadyVanishes'' and ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', which this film's director (Arthur Hiller) and screenwriter (Colin Higgins) admired.

A 1976 comedy/action/mystery film directed by Creator/ArthurHiller, written by Colin Higgins, and starring Creator/GeneWilder, Jill Clayburgh, and Creator/RichardPryor.

While trying to get intimate with Hilly, George sees the body of Hilly's employer, Professor Schreiner, falling off the roof. When George attempts to investigate, he too is thrown off the train. He eventually makes his way back on the train, and tells Bob Sweet what happened. Sweet reveals that he's actually an FBI agent who's been tailing international art dealer Roger Devereau (Creator/PatrickMcGoohan), whom he believes to be the one responsible for Schreiner's death. Schreiner's new book on Rembrandt would have exposed several of Devereau's prized pieces as frauds. However, Devereau's henchmen [[spoiler: kill Sweet]] and attempt to kill George, who escapes the train hoping to inform the authorities. Unfortunately, Devereau has already framed George for [[spoiler:Sweet's death]]. He is able to evade the police with the aid of a thief named Grover T. Muldoon (Pryor), and must find a way back aboard the Silver Streak to stop Devereau and rescue Hilly.

** [spoiler: If it hadn't been for the sheer coincidence of Reace showing up just after Sweet buzzed the porter, Ralston from George's cabin, his plan to have Devereau, Whiney, and Johnson locked up would've succeeded and the letters would've been saved, not to mention the runaway train situation at the end would've been prevented. Instead, he answers George's door as they go through a tunnel and is mistakenly shot by Reace who thinks he's killing George.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Grover's deliberate intervening bumbling causes Devereau to have on that causes him to throw a racial slur against him, which in turn prompts Grover to draw his revolver on him.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Devereau drops the N-bomb on Grover after driven into a VillainousBreakdown and gets [[BerserkButton read the riot act at gunpoint]] for it.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Devereau drops the N-bomb on Grover and gets [[BerserkButton read the riot act at gunpoint]] for it.

* VillaonousPlanInertia: Devereau plants a toolbox on the train's gas pedal to keep it moving while he takes potshots at the heroes. When he's killed, the box is still on the gas pedal and there's no way to get to the engine before it crashes into Chicago's train station.

* VillainousPlanIntertia: Devereau plants a toolbox on the train's gas pedal to keep it moving while he takes potshots at the heroes. When he's killed, the box is still on the gas pedal and there's no way to get to the engine before it crashes into Chicago's train station.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silverstreak.jpg]]

While trying to get intimate with Hilly, George sees the body of Hilly's employer, Professor Schreiner, falling off the roof. When George attempts to investigate, he too is thrown off the train. He eventually makes his way back on the train, and tells Bob Sweet what happened. Sweet reveals that he's actually an FBI agent who's been tailing international art dealer Roger Devereau ([[Series/DangerMan Patrick]] [[Series/ThePrisoner1967 McGoohan]]), whom he believes to be the one responsible for Schreiner's death. Schreiner's new book on Rembrandt would have exposed several of Devereau's prized pieces as frauds. However, Devereau's henchmen [[spoiler: kill Sweet]] and attempt to kill George, who escapes the train hoping to inform the authorities. Unfortunately, Devereau has already framed George for [[spoiler:Sweet's death]]. He is able to evade the police with the aid of a thief named Grover T. Muldoon (Pryor), and must find a way back aboard the Silver Streak to stop Devereau and rescue Hilly.

* WouldHitAWoman: Devereau is revealed to be an actual villain when he slaps Hilly out of George's sight.

A 1976 comedy/action/mystery film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Colin Higgins, and starring Creator/GeneWilder, Jill Clayburgh, and Creator/RichardPryor.

This was the first of four films that Wilder and Pryor appeared in together.