Here's the prob. The book's a lot better. Paul Erdman invented the financial thriller with Billion Dollar Sure Thing and followed it up with this story. Inevitably, it's a 70s caper pic without the physical action. Not a great recipe but it works. The leads are OK. Michael Caine isn't given a lot to work with and Jay Leno shows he was right to take another direction. The supporting roles are much better filled. Joss Ackland and Charles Gray both deliver on cue and whoever plays Donald Luckman comes closer than anyone to the book. On the other hand, Cybil Shepherd's Debbie Luckman is nothing like the book. She's better! In the book, Debbie's a frustrated, embittered bitch. And not without reason but here, she's a suburban child escaping her boundaries but never breaking faith with Donald. Donald's going to be locked up and she's not about to abandon him. But Michael Caine's home is awfully close to the jail ...
24 Reviews
Meh....
planktonrules13 December 2020
The cast in "Silver Bears" is quite odd. On one hand, you have some very well respected actors such as Michael Caine, Louis Jourdan, Joss Acklund, David Warner and Martin Balsam. But you also have Tom Smothers and Jay Leno...and a very comedic performance by a young Cybill Shepherd! This mix manages to merge a serious crime drama with comedy...a strange mix to say the least.
When the movie begins, Doc Fletcher (Caine) heads to Switzerland to check up on his latest organized crime endeavor...as he's bought a Swiss bank from which to launder money. However, it turns out the $3,000,000 he spent for the bank gave him a tiny dump above a pizza parlor with only $900 in assets! Clearly, Doc is in trouble, as this is mob money. So, to cover this, he and his compatriots decide to cover the loss with other money from a scam involving Iranian silver. And, now they're able to at least pretend to have a working bank. To make the story kooky, Doc is saddled with a jerk of a mobster's idiot son (Leno) and an obnoxious and ditsy wife of a banker (Shepherd). But where this all goes is frankly impossible to predict...just see the movie.
To say that the plot is confusing is definitely an understatement. This is not a film you casually watch as you cook dinner or play with your laptop! You really need to pay attention to understand the scam and its many complications. This isn't a complaint...more an observation.
So is it any good? Well, yes and no. The film is very talky and tough to follow. Additionally, Shepherd's character is someone you'll either love or hate (I tended towards the latter)....as she's not exactly subtle nor believable...as well as being incredibly confusing and amoral. To me, this film could have been a lot funnier had it been a bit more subtle. And, if I want to see a Michael Caine film about scammers, I'd rather see "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"...it's just funnier and more clever.
When the movie begins, Doc Fletcher (Caine) heads to Switzerland to check up on his latest organized crime endeavor...as he's bought a Swiss bank from which to launder money. However, it turns out the $3,000,000 he spent for the bank gave him a tiny dump above a pizza parlor with only $900 in assets! Clearly, Doc is in trouble, as this is mob money. So, to cover this, he and his compatriots decide to cover the loss with other money from a scam involving Iranian silver. And, now they're able to at least pretend to have a working bank. To make the story kooky, Doc is saddled with a jerk of a mobster's idiot son (Leno) and an obnoxious and ditsy wife of a banker (Shepherd). But where this all goes is frankly impossible to predict...just see the movie.
To say that the plot is confusing is definitely an understatement. This is not a film you casually watch as you cook dinner or play with your laptop! You really need to pay attention to understand the scam and its many complications. This isn't a complaint...more an observation.
So is it any good? Well, yes and no. The film is very talky and tough to follow. Additionally, Shepherd's character is someone you'll either love or hate (I tended towards the latter)....as she's not exactly subtle nor believable...as well as being incredibly confusing and amoral. To me, this film could have been a lot funnier had it been a bit more subtle. And, if I want to see a Michael Caine film about scammers, I'd rather see "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"...it's just funnier and more clever.
Creative Accounting
richardchatten12 May 2020
The story of financing and putting together this movie is probably even more remarkable than the intricacies of Oscar-winning scriptwriter Peter Stone's adaptation of Paul Erdman's 1974 'financial thriller' which brings together a once-in-a-lifetime international cast under the direction of Czech emigre Ivan Passer (who died recently, and ten years earlier had been considered the equal of Milos Forman) on picturesque locations that look suspiciously as if they were selected for their tax status as much as their visual attractiveness.
A good picture.
Ffolkes-314 June 2002
It's a good crime picture with a star-packed cast. The plot is very engaging and not much complicated but also a clever one, which is a big advantage because you never get bored while watching it. Ivan Passer who directed the movie was amongst the leading directors of the new wave in Czechoslovakia in the early 60s but this picture is entirely different. Anyway, it's good in its genre and definitely well acted with the required *twinkle* in the eye from Michael Caine. The locations are very attractive as well as music. It's a very pleasant movie to watch in the evening. I recommend it not only to Michael Caine fans.
Cracking Scam Comedy Thriller
michaelarmer30 November 2019
This is an underrated gem, its a cracking film, good acting, stunning scenery, good music score, well directed and edited, and an excellent story.
This is supposed to be one of Michael Caine's lesser films, not as big as Zulu, the Harry Palmer trilogy or The Italian Job etc, but for me its just as good as those. It has a stellar cast, along with Caine is Louis Jordan, Joss Ackland, Martin Balsam, Cybill Shepherd, Stephane Audran, David Warner, Charles Gray, all excellent actors, even Jay Leno was Ok, even the supporting actors, all were good, so congratulations must go to the Director Ivan Passer for keeping them going as a team and with the pacing of the film. I wish more were made like this.
This is supposed to be one of Michael Caine's lesser films, not as big as Zulu, the Harry Palmer trilogy or The Italian Job etc, but for me its just as good as those. It has a stellar cast, along with Caine is Louis Jordan, Joss Ackland, Martin Balsam, Cybill Shepherd, Stephane Audran, David Warner, Charles Gray, all excellent actors, even Jay Leno was Ok, even the supporting actors, all were good, so congratulations must go to the Director Ivan Passer for keeping them going as a team and with the pacing of the film. I wish more were made like this.
Not Bad Caper Movie
dbborroughs3 April 2004
I haven't seen this movie in ages but I remember liking it a great deal. The plot is one of those twisty turny types thats no where near as clever as it think it is. The film is a mindless time killer but not in a bad way.
The real curiosity is the fact that it stars Jay Leno in what is actually the third largest part in the film. Leno is good in his role, certainly much better than you'd expect from one of the current kings of late night TV. Certainly had this film been made now Leno would be billed near the top instead of eighth or ninth in the cast list. If you're dying to be able to one up your friends in useless trivia and to be able to see a film that they probably haven;t seen, but might want to for the curiosity factor, give it a shot.
The real curiosity is the fact that it stars Jay Leno in what is actually the third largest part in the film. Leno is good in his role, certainly much better than you'd expect from one of the current kings of late night TV. Certainly had this film been made now Leno would be billed near the top instead of eighth or ninth in the cast list. If you're dying to be able to one up your friends in useless trivia and to be able to see a film that they probably haven;t seen, but might want to for the curiosity factor, give it a shot.
Wish it had been easier to bear
udar5524 April 2018
A Las Vegas mob boss (Martin Balsam) comes up with an ingenious way to launder money - buy a bank! He sends pal Doc Fletcher (Michael Caine) to Switzerland to buy a bank with the help of local contact Prince Gianfranco di Siracusa (Louis Jordan). Along for the ride is the kingpin's wayward son Albert (Jay Leno). Prince Siracusa has a deed for a bank (really a rundown apartment over a pizza parlor) and then things get complicated when his "cousins" (Stéphane Audran and David Warner) want Fletcher to buy in on their Iranian silver mine. Also figuring into this are a banking exec (Tom Smothers) and his ditzy wife (Cybill Shepherd). Ouch! Caine has been upfront about his taking roles for their locations (paid vacation!) and I can't think of any other reason he would have taken this. It is billed as a comedy-thriller, yet manages to never be funny or thrilling. You would think with such a cast that some sort of sparks would fly, but this nearly 2 hour flick is a bore. It doesn't help that the main plot twist doesn't kick in until 90 minutes in (even though you've guess it when it is introduced) and the tricks to swindle some buyers turns into an anti-THE STING. Lots of moments of people talking...and talking...and talking. It says something when the comic highlight is Caine accidentally dropping a breakfast egg in his lap. I lay it all firmly at the feet of director Ivan Passer, who thinks having such a capable cast can immediately pass for a top notch film. Definitely not the case. I'm sure Caine's wife thanks him though.
Tarnished Silver; a Tawdry Movie about Tawdry People
JamesHitchcock28 February 2011
"Silver Bears" has something in common with the "heist" or "caper" movies which were popular in the sixties and seventies, but deals with financial fraud and dodgy deals on the money markets rather than an actual robbery. It stars Michael Caine, who also starred in "The Italian Job", one of the best-known caper movies. Here Caine plays "Doc" Fletcher, a sort of financial troubleshooter for the Mafia. (Like most of Caine's characters, Doc is British; Caine has very rarely played an American in any of his films, "The Cider House Rules" being one of the few exceptions). Doc is sent by his boss, Joe Fiore, to buy a Swiss bank through which the Mob will be able to launder their ill-gotten gains.
The plot is a complex one, involving not only the acquisition of the said bank (which turns out to be no more than a small office above a pizza parlour) but also an investment in an Iranian silver mine and various complicated financial transactions, not all of which are entirely above board. (The mine would explain the "silver" element of the title; the significance of the "bears" element remains obscure, even if one understands the word in its financial rather than its zoological sense).
The late seventies were perhaps not the most distinguished period of Caine's career. In the sixties and early seventies he had made some excellent films in Britain ("Zulu", "Alfie", "The Battle of Britain", "Get Carter"), but he clearly felt that being a major star of the British cinema made him no more than a big fish in a small pond and he wanted to reinvent himself as a Hollywood star. Unfortunately, in his early Hollywood years he often seemed more like a small fish in a big pond and often found himself cast in some dreadful movies.
Indeed, Caine himself has described three of the films which he made in 1978 and 1979, "The Magus", "The Swarm" and "Ashanti", as being his worst. (I have never seen "The Magus", but would certainly agree with him about "The Swarm" and "Ashanti", although I would argue that "Blame it on Rio" from the mid-eighties also deserves a dishonourable mention as one of his least distinguished achievements).
"Silver Bears" is never as bad as something like "Ashanti", but few would count it among Caine's better films. Certainly, the star tries hard, playing Doc as a Cockney geezer reminiscent of Charlie Croker from "The Italian Job", but never makes him very likable. His leading lady Cybill Shepherd, who plays Doc's love-interest Debbie, was also going through a difficult phase in her career at the time, trying to prove, often without much success, both to the world and to herself that she was something more than Peter Bogdanovich's girlfriend and muse. (Both Caine and Shepherd were to see their careers revive in the eighties; he began to find roles in better films like "Hannah and Her Sisters" and she successfully reinvented herself as a TV actress in "Moonlighting").
The film is sometimes described as a "comedy thriller", but I for one never found it either very comic or very thrilling. It lacks the action sequences which can make heist movies exciting, but it shares the main weakness of that particular genre, namely an unsavoury "crime does pay" attitude. None of the main characters seem to have any moral scruples, but none of them end up paying for their sins, apart from one unlucky accountant who is chosen to serve a jail term, largely as a scapegoat for the sins of others. Despite the best efforts of Caine, Shepherd and some other well-known faces such as Louis Jourdan and Joss Ackland, "Silver Bears" is little more than a tawdry movie about tawdry people. A piece of tarnished silver. 5/10
The plot is a complex one, involving not only the acquisition of the said bank (which turns out to be no more than a small office above a pizza parlour) but also an investment in an Iranian silver mine and various complicated financial transactions, not all of which are entirely above board. (The mine would explain the "silver" element of the title; the significance of the "bears" element remains obscure, even if one understands the word in its financial rather than its zoological sense).
The late seventies were perhaps not the most distinguished period of Caine's career. In the sixties and early seventies he had made some excellent films in Britain ("Zulu", "Alfie", "The Battle of Britain", "Get Carter"), but he clearly felt that being a major star of the British cinema made him no more than a big fish in a small pond and he wanted to reinvent himself as a Hollywood star. Unfortunately, in his early Hollywood years he often seemed more like a small fish in a big pond and often found himself cast in some dreadful movies.
Indeed, Caine himself has described three of the films which he made in 1978 and 1979, "The Magus", "The Swarm" and "Ashanti", as being his worst. (I have never seen "The Magus", but would certainly agree with him about "The Swarm" and "Ashanti", although I would argue that "Blame it on Rio" from the mid-eighties also deserves a dishonourable mention as one of his least distinguished achievements).
"Silver Bears" is never as bad as something like "Ashanti", but few would count it among Caine's better films. Certainly, the star tries hard, playing Doc as a Cockney geezer reminiscent of Charlie Croker from "The Italian Job", but never makes him very likable. His leading lady Cybill Shepherd, who plays Doc's love-interest Debbie, was also going through a difficult phase in her career at the time, trying to prove, often without much success, both to the world and to herself that she was something more than Peter Bogdanovich's girlfriend and muse. (Both Caine and Shepherd were to see their careers revive in the eighties; he began to find roles in better films like "Hannah and Her Sisters" and she successfully reinvented herself as a TV actress in "Moonlighting").
The film is sometimes described as a "comedy thriller", but I for one never found it either very comic or very thrilling. It lacks the action sequences which can make heist movies exciting, but it shares the main weakness of that particular genre, namely an unsavoury "crime does pay" attitude. None of the main characters seem to have any moral scruples, but none of them end up paying for their sins, apart from one unlucky accountant who is chosen to serve a jail term, largely as a scapegoat for the sins of others. Despite the best efforts of Caine, Shepherd and some other well-known faces such as Louis Jourdan and Joss Ackland, "Silver Bears" is little more than a tawdry movie about tawdry people. A piece of tarnished silver. 5/10
Delightful comedy with stellar cast
tvman-328 December 2004
This is a movie I could easily have missed. It played at a theater I worked at, and was an unusually rare booking in that, as I recall, it actually played for less than a week (talk about filler).
Nevertheless, it really is a gem of a comedy. Years later, working in a video store, I would frequently put it on the store monitor to play, and almost never got through the whole thing, because invariably someone would see a bit of it and then want to rent it.
Contrary to another user's comment, it would be hard to claim that Jay Leno's role is third. He has a good part, but he could hardly be placed ahead of Louis Jourdan or Tom Smothers. Possibly ahead of David Warner.
This is not some people's idea of comedy, as there are no fart jokes or car crashes, but it's a movie you find yourself chuckling at all the way through. A collection of classy comedic performances from the stars and supporting cast members Joss Ackland, Charles Gray, Jeremy Clyde (of Chad & Jeremy fame), and Leno, among others.
Be warned if looking for it on home video, however. Though the first release of it was in SP mode, it was later released in a bargain-bin EP/SLP version, which will of course look like crap. If only someone would put this gem out on DVD.
Nevertheless, it really is a gem of a comedy. Years later, working in a video store, I would frequently put it on the store monitor to play, and almost never got through the whole thing, because invariably someone would see a bit of it and then want to rent it.
Contrary to another user's comment, it would be hard to claim that Jay Leno's role is third. He has a good part, but he could hardly be placed ahead of Louis Jourdan or Tom Smothers. Possibly ahead of David Warner.
This is not some people's idea of comedy, as there are no fart jokes or car crashes, but it's a movie you find yourself chuckling at all the way through. A collection of classy comedic performances from the stars and supporting cast members Joss Ackland, Charles Gray, Jeremy Clyde (of Chad & Jeremy fame), and Leno, among others.
Be warned if looking for it on home video, however. Though the first release of it was in SP mode, it was later released in a bargain-bin EP/SLP version, which will of course look like crap. If only someone would put this gem out on DVD.
60 million dollars and no sense.
brogmiller23 August 2020
Czech writer/director Ivan Passer followed in the footsteps of Milos Forman to Hollywood but did not fare as well in terms of projects as his esteemed colleague, although he famously turned down the chance to direct 'Yentl'. His best American films are very much those of an outsider looking in and as the writer of 'Blonde in Love' and 'Fireman's Ball' he excels in showing the absurdities of the human condition.
The only absurdity of 'Silver Bears' is the film itself and heaven only knows how Passer became involved in this nonsensical venture.
A mobster is conned into buying a Swiss bank and his negotiator is likewise conned into investing in a silver mine, neither of which exist.
The film's poster would have us believe that this is a 'superb comedy' which turns out to be a misrepresentation on both counts.
There is no earthly point in criticising the players, most of whom are worthy of better. Louis Jourdan and Stéphane Audran provide that indefinably Gallic 'Je ne sais quoi' whilst the show is stolen by Tom Smothers whose close-up reaction when he realises that he has been made the 'fall guy' is absolutely priceless.
When asked why he made so many mediocre films Michael Caine replied that "people only remember the good ones". He is alas probably right and this belongs to a growing number of his films that I, for one, would prefer to forget.
The only absurdity of 'Silver Bears' is the film itself and heaven only knows how Passer became involved in this nonsensical venture.
A mobster is conned into buying a Swiss bank and his negotiator is likewise conned into investing in a silver mine, neither of which exist.
The film's poster would have us believe that this is a 'superb comedy' which turns out to be a misrepresentation on both counts.
There is no earthly point in criticising the players, most of whom are worthy of better. Louis Jourdan and Stéphane Audran provide that indefinably Gallic 'Je ne sais quoi' whilst the show is stolen by Tom Smothers whose close-up reaction when he realises that he has been made the 'fall guy' is absolutely priceless.
When asked why he made so many mediocre films Michael Caine replied that "people only remember the good ones". He is alas probably right and this belongs to a growing number of his films that I, for one, would prefer to forget.
A Clever caper in the tradition of 'The Sting' & 'Matchstick Men'
greene5154 October 2011
'Silver Bears' is an enjoyable Clever caper in the tradition of 'The Sting' & 'Matchstick Men' Sir Michael Caine plays "Doc" Fletcher a Financial wizard who is sent by Mafia boss Joe Fiore Martin Balsam to buy a bank in Switzerland in order to launder their profits. Caine purchases a premises which is rather shabby and located above a pizzeria. Jourdan suggests that Caine invests in a silver mine owned by strange persian siblings Stéphane Audran and David Warner. the Silver mine attracts the attention of some of the most powerful people in the silver business. all is not what it seems as everyone is out to swindle Caine and company 'Silver Bears' also stars a fresh faced Jay Leno and kooky Cybill Shepherd.
Starts off enjoyable with great Swiss locations and then becomes tedious and a bit obnoxious.
mark.waltz6 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Once the character played by Cybill Shepherd enters into this film, the film goes from a colorful action comedy paper film to something quite annoying and difficult to get through. When you cast someone like Michael Caine and Louis Jourdan opposite Shepherd (known more for her beauty at the time rather than to dramatic talent) and the then unknown Jay Leno, you're going to have mixed reactions because of the variations of talent involved, and frankly for me, the exotic locations after a while which become fewer and fewer as the storyline became lamer and lamer, and the comedy became dumber and dumber. The film starts off intriguing but it's not exactly the newest story, a caper about Swiss bank accounts, amusing in a scene when Caine and company look back and forth in unison at the various banks that they are noticing. That for me was the comic highlight, and the only time that got a real laugh out of me.
The film opens with a very amusing scene where seemingly younger men are entering a steam bath nude and you see their backsides, only to find out that they are middle-aged men and older sitting with Martin Balsam who is concocting a money laundering scheme involving a silver mine. When they get to Switzerland, there are a lot of oohs and ahs over the many mountains and the greenery surrounding them as well as the beautiful cities. But the adult story becomes rather tedious and juvenile when Shepherd appears, seemingly vital and vibrant but becoming more annoying as the film goes on. I was more interested in the character played by Stephanie Audran, very becoming in a series of glamorous turbans, and yet she pretty much disappears from the film. This is one of those movies that obviously the actors took for a working trip, expenses paid, to an exotic place, a staple of 70's cinema. The exotic locations can only hold the interest so much, and after a while, I just couldn't wait for the film to end.
The film opens with a very amusing scene where seemingly younger men are entering a steam bath nude and you see their backsides, only to find out that they are middle-aged men and older sitting with Martin Balsam who is concocting a money laundering scheme involving a silver mine. When they get to Switzerland, there are a lot of oohs and ahs over the many mountains and the greenery surrounding them as well as the beautiful cities. But the adult story becomes rather tedious and juvenile when Shepherd appears, seemingly vital and vibrant but becoming more annoying as the film goes on. I was more interested in the character played by Stephanie Audran, very becoming in a series of glamorous turbans, and yet she pretty much disappears from the film. This is one of those movies that obviously the actors took for a working trip, expenses paid, to an exotic place, a staple of 70's cinema. The exotic locations can only hold the interest so much, and after a while, I just couldn't wait for the film to end.
Waste of Exposed Silver Nitrate
Waiting2BShocked6 September 2005
Complicated-to-the-point-of-derisory goings on; set in the less-than-fascinating world of the silver shares market, Swiss banks, crooked syndicate bosses and their schemes and so on. And on. And on. For at 110 minutes, this painfully protracted, alleged 'comedy' becomes unbearable as its visual jokes are repeated ad infinitum. The humour itself, although not exactly in the 'Road Trip' class of vulgarity, is unlikely to appeal to anyone over the age of 7. Everyone acts superfluously silly under the impression they are doing a good job, oblivious to their director, who is busy making some sort of jet-set Jacqueline Susannesque melodrama. Cybill has her work cut out as she frequently has to play the scenery as well as her designated role. The sort of film you may at least be able to laugh at, as opposed to with, provided you can drum up the enthusiasm to keep your eyes on the screen.
Not half as bad as they tell you
mim-812 October 2009
"Silver Bears" is a great little effort from Czech master, Ivan Passer. It's funny well acted and neatly done comedy caper, that wont let you go until the end. I don't know why it was so badly reviewed when it easily counts among the top 20 comedies of the 70's. Michael Caine is great as usual as Cockney mafioso who in order to make a buck for himself gets a green light from Italian mafioso to start a bank in Switzerland in order to launder some funds, but there's a catch. In fulfilling that mission, without getting himself a brand new pair of cement boots, Caine is greatly helped by Louis Jourdan as sleazy Prince Di Siracusa, and an odd couple of blockheads consisting of Jay Leno in his best role to date, apart from the "Tonight Show", and Tony Mascia as Marvin Skinner. Cybil Shepherd is always great as a decoration, and the movie slides along beautifully with turns on every corner. Passer later proved to be great as a director of many layers, showing his skills most notably in the "Cutter's Way", but here he does it strictly by the numbers. Great fun, catch it if you can, if you like comedies with style, you wont be disappointed.
A great disappointment for the "kaboom!" and "pow-pow blaam!" crowd.
fedor81 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Just as I had expected, the IMDb viewer average is fairly low. This is due to several very obvious reasons (which I will nevertheless include here because what is my obvious may not be the average film-goer's obvious by a long shot).
Firstly, the movie is good. Movie fans generally have a distaste for those.
Secondly, in SB's entire 115 minutes there aren't any action scenes whatsoever. SB is all dialog. Not one punch is thrown, no explosions in sight ("oh no!"), not even someone running from someone else - or just to jog, not even that. The violence is only implied ("oh, shucks!"), on occasion threatened but it never amounts to even one drop of blood being spilled ("not fair!"). This is, of course, unacceptable for the average viewer who cannot sit still for 15 minutes and listen to people talk ("there's nuthin' going' on in this them da here film!"), much less 115 minutes. That's simply asking too much.
Thirdly, the abundant dialog is nearly all wheeling-dealing, various schemes being discussed, traps being prepared, capers organized, and so on, i.e. far too convoluted for the typical movie-goer whose favourite movie is something even a frog can understand, something like the IMDb perennial favourite, "The Shawshank Redemption", which these tiny minds consider a complex character study just because there are characters in it that they can study (until they finally grasp even that story). Even the intricate world of international banking and finance becomes a major element of SB, and this must have served as a sort of last straw for those who were already fidgeting nervously in their seats, hungry for bombs to go of, going "whoosh!". ("Booo-riiing!")
To top it all off, the final insult to the typical film fan: no anti-Capitalist left-wing message. ("All them bankers and not even a hint of Viva la Revolucion? Me no like!") SB could have been the most talky film in the universe, and dull as hell, but if only it had a typical liberal attack on "Western Imperialism" or something of that propagandist nature, the film-buffy masses would have been quickly appeased and would have forgiven SB for all its imagined "flaws".
SB is a very entertaining crime comedy, admittedly without any moments that are belly-laugh-inducing, but with a number of amusing scenes and fun and interesting plot-twists. An excellent cast had been assembled for this overlooked movie, with Caine carrying it all as well as he (nearly) always does. However, in some ways it is Cybill Shepherd who steals the spotlight with the amazing dits, vivaciousness and energy she brings to her role. Jay Leno, who played clips from this movie several times in his show, isn't half-bad as an actor; after all, what would you call hosting that NBC program all these years? That is acting, what else would it be.
I can understand the disappointment and anger of a Wes Anderson fan, who perhaps expected more weird-for-the-sake-of-it embarrassing grimacing/mugging by a cast of nepotistic semi-amateurs, but you can always find that in WA's films. No need to expect EVERY comedy to be as awful as that.
Firstly, the movie is good. Movie fans generally have a distaste for those.
Secondly, in SB's entire 115 minutes there aren't any action scenes whatsoever. SB is all dialog. Not one punch is thrown, no explosions in sight ("oh no!"), not even someone running from someone else - or just to jog, not even that. The violence is only implied ("oh, shucks!"), on occasion threatened but it never amounts to even one drop of blood being spilled ("not fair!"). This is, of course, unacceptable for the average viewer who cannot sit still for 15 minutes and listen to people talk ("there's nuthin' going' on in this them da here film!"), much less 115 minutes. That's simply asking too much.
Thirdly, the abundant dialog is nearly all wheeling-dealing, various schemes being discussed, traps being prepared, capers organized, and so on, i.e. far too convoluted for the typical movie-goer whose favourite movie is something even a frog can understand, something like the IMDb perennial favourite, "The Shawshank Redemption", which these tiny minds consider a complex character study just because there are characters in it that they can study (until they finally grasp even that story). Even the intricate world of international banking and finance becomes a major element of SB, and this must have served as a sort of last straw for those who were already fidgeting nervously in their seats, hungry for bombs to go of, going "whoosh!". ("Booo-riiing!")
To top it all off, the final insult to the typical film fan: no anti-Capitalist left-wing message. ("All them bankers and not even a hint of Viva la Revolucion? Me no like!") SB could have been the most talky film in the universe, and dull as hell, but if only it had a typical liberal attack on "Western Imperialism" or something of that propagandist nature, the film-buffy masses would have been quickly appeased and would have forgiven SB for all its imagined "flaws".
SB is a very entertaining crime comedy, admittedly without any moments that are belly-laugh-inducing, but with a number of amusing scenes and fun and interesting plot-twists. An excellent cast had been assembled for this overlooked movie, with Caine carrying it all as well as he (nearly) always does. However, in some ways it is Cybill Shepherd who steals the spotlight with the amazing dits, vivaciousness and energy she brings to her role. Jay Leno, who played clips from this movie several times in his show, isn't half-bad as an actor; after all, what would you call hosting that NBC program all these years? That is acting, what else would it be.
I can understand the disappointment and anger of a Wes Anderson fan, who perhaps expected more weird-for-the-sake-of-it embarrassing grimacing/mugging by a cast of nepotistic semi-amateurs, but you can always find that in WA's films. No need to expect EVERY comedy to be as awful as that.
Caine meets Leno: stupidity ensues!
tarbosh2200014 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Starting with five men wearing silly panchos, then taking them off and getting completely naked and getting in a hot tub and discussing the upcoming heist they want to pull off and then jaggedly cutting to the superimposed title "Gold Strike", which looks like it was typed on an old-school Apple IIgs, you can't help but groan.
Set in Switzerland, Michael Caine plays Doc Fletcher, the mastermind of the Swiss bank heist. Similar to The Bank Job (2008), they are next to a pizza place instead of a chicken shack where they plan the heist. Caine is assigned a partner to oversee the "job", the irritating, high-pitched, show-stealing-from-Conan Jay Leno, named Albert Fiore. He has big curly hair, a big straw hat and glasses. All he does is complain and ask questions. Caine yells all his lines. Before On Deadly Ground, this was a career low for Caine and a career high for Jay Leno.
Fletcher falls in love with Debbie (Shepherd) and Tommy Smothers shows up at some point. This is all mediocre, standard fare with no surprises.
The "Gold Strike" VHS tape, put out on the "Dominican Releasing" label, has many problems. The G of Gold looks like a C, but the movie is not called "Cold Strike". On the back of the box, it reads "If you're looking for entertaining advice on the world market, you'll love every minute of Gold Strike!" Is that true? Only you can be the judge.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Set in Switzerland, Michael Caine plays Doc Fletcher, the mastermind of the Swiss bank heist. Similar to The Bank Job (2008), they are next to a pizza place instead of a chicken shack where they plan the heist. Caine is assigned a partner to oversee the "job", the irritating, high-pitched, show-stealing-from-Conan Jay Leno, named Albert Fiore. He has big curly hair, a big straw hat and glasses. All he does is complain and ask questions. Caine yells all his lines. Before On Deadly Ground, this was a career low for Caine and a career high for Jay Leno.
Fletcher falls in love with Debbie (Shepherd) and Tommy Smothers shows up at some point. This is all mediocre, standard fare with no surprises.
The "Gold Strike" VHS tape, put out on the "Dominican Releasing" label, has many problems. The G of Gold looks like a C, but the movie is not called "Cold Strike". On the back of the box, it reads "If you're looking for entertaining advice on the world market, you'll love every minute of Gold Strike!" Is that true? Only you can be the judge.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Good movie, great story
zgfs24 September 2012
Excellent movie that actually shows how the world of finance and banking works even today, and shows it with a touch of style and intelligent humor. Great cast, lovely story and for me, above all else, very simplified yet precise way of how things actually work in the finance world, even 30 years after the film was made (this is obviously thanks to Paul Erdman who wrote the novel in the first place). It is always interesting to see and recognize someone like Jay Leno in this movie and to actually see him act quite good. Michael Cain is great as always and Cybill is a nice addition as a pretty face. Definitely an easy going must watch movie that is quite intelligent and interesting beyond bombs, car chases and similar stuff..
An almost flawless film.
go_titans3 December 2017
This is easily one of top 100 favourite films, and having just watched it again last night I felt compelled to finally write a review on it.
The casting is wonderful, the acting is superb, the script is involved but very well thought out and so it makes for an intelligent film, the scenery and camera work are excellent, the dialogue is subtlety written, and the film has a wonderful ending. So what's not to like?
For me this is one of those rare films where scene after scene is memorable, and each for their own reasons. My favourite scene is probably the one where Caine confronts his boss by the pool: the respect the two have for each other is wonderfully portrayed and presented, and Caine's look up to the sky immediately following the encounter shows the stress he was feeling during the confrontation - beautifully written, acted and shot!!
Bad points? Honestly, there ain't many that this reviewer can find. I guess Shephard's character may seem over the top, but she would have charmed me every bit as much as she did Caine, and so his interest in her feels completely authentic.
Another issue for some viewers may be the subtle dialogue and involved plot, but that's always going to be an issue with an intelligent film.
So why would I not give this film a 10 like I would Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady, Charade, Lord of the Rings, or other classic masterpieces? Because those films all have some magic in them, and that's the one thing that Silver Bears lacks. It is superb in almost every way, but it lacks magic.
To sum up, I regard Silver Bears as a highly underrated film, and if you appreciate great acting and intelligent plots, I reckon you'll really enjoy it.
The casting is wonderful, the acting is superb, the script is involved but very well thought out and so it makes for an intelligent film, the scenery and camera work are excellent, the dialogue is subtlety written, and the film has a wonderful ending. So what's not to like?
For me this is one of those rare films where scene after scene is memorable, and each for their own reasons. My favourite scene is probably the one where Caine confronts his boss by the pool: the respect the two have for each other is wonderfully portrayed and presented, and Caine's look up to the sky immediately following the encounter shows the stress he was feeling during the confrontation - beautifully written, acted and shot!!
Bad points? Honestly, there ain't many that this reviewer can find. I guess Shephard's character may seem over the top, but she would have charmed me every bit as much as she did Caine, and so his interest in her feels completely authentic.
Another issue for some viewers may be the subtle dialogue and involved plot, but that's always going to be an issue with an intelligent film.
So why would I not give this film a 10 like I would Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady, Charade, Lord of the Rings, or other classic masterpieces? Because those films all have some magic in them, and that's the one thing that Silver Bears lacks. It is superb in almost every way, but it lacks magic.
To sum up, I regard Silver Bears as a highly underrated film, and if you appreciate great acting and intelligent plots, I reckon you'll really enjoy it.
Silver Bores
junk-monkey8 August 2008
I heard, many years ago, that Michael Caine used to pick his movie parts on the basis of the locations the films were to be shot in.
'Ah!' He would think, 'I quite fancy a trip to Switzerland and Morocco. Haven't been there for a bit.'
I guess that's why Caine took this part. I can think of no other reason* other than he fancied a trip to Morocco and the money was good. This long dull film is nowhere as funny or complicated as it thinks it is. The few plot twists are very obvious and not very twisty. The humour is leaden. (About halfway through I had to look at the DVD case sleeve to check whether I had been mistaken, but no, it was supposed to be a comedy.)
Very avoidable.
*Apart from the fact that his part called for him to roll around on a bed with a young, semi-naked Cybill Shepherd. Nice work if you can get it.
'Ah!' He would think, 'I quite fancy a trip to Switzerland and Morocco. Haven't been there for a bit.'
I guess that's why Caine took this part. I can think of no other reason* other than he fancied a trip to Morocco and the money was good. This long dull film is nowhere as funny or complicated as it thinks it is. The few plot twists are very obvious and not very twisty. The humour is leaden. (About halfway through I had to look at the DVD case sleeve to check whether I had been mistaken, but no, it was supposed to be a comedy.)
Very avoidable.
*Apart from the fact that his part called for him to roll around on a bed with a young, semi-naked Cybill Shepherd. Nice work if you can get it.
authentic movie
christiaanvanmaurik8 April 2021
Fairly thought-provoking in its lighthearted way
philosopherjack4 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ivan Passer opens Silver Bears with a scene of fleshy New York crime bosses getting naked in a hot tub, suggesting an exercise in intimate exposure ahead; funnily enough though, the movie that follows mainly regards people as chess pieces in the game of international finance, with only cursory characterization, albeit of quirky historical interest (it may not be widely realized that Jay Leno, Tom Smothers, Stephane Audran, Louis Jourdan and Cybill Shepherd were ever in the same movie). The quite clever plot has one of those bosses buying a Swiss bank and dispatching his financial wizard Doc Fletcher (Michael Caine) to run it: the bank turns out to be a wreck, but Fletcher turns things round through a lucrative investment in an Iranian silver mine, which makes the bank a potential acquisition target both for American financiers and for British metal traders, complicated by the fact that Caine wants the bank for himself, and that, oh, the mine doesn't actually exist, except as a fictional cover for a smuggling operation. In its lighthearted and mostly non-judgmental way the movie is fairly thought-provoking about such matters as the abstract complexity of deal making and the ethics of financial reporting, and although there's sometimes a sense of Passer rushing to hold the whole thing together, his pleasure is infectious (in some ways, such as the Shepherd character's uncomplicated approach to adultery, it might represent an extension of the Czech spring's preoccupation with creative and personal freedom). It would be intriguing to view the film in a double bill with Passer's next film, Cutter's Way, in which images of privilege clash with outbursts of paranoia, dark fantasy and instability, and the sense of entitlement that Silver Bears leaves largely unexamined is diagnosed (even more clearly in retrospect) as an element of American division and fracture.
Money laundering ...
manuel-pestalozzi28 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
... turns out to be silver laundering. That's what this maybe overly cerebral movie is about. Most of the protagonists try to give their criminal actions a whiff of legality by diverting the flow of money to Switzerland. It was an item then as it is now. Almost all the action is set in Switzerland, in the Italian speaking part south of the Alps, to be exact. And Switzerland is basically boring (i.e. no shots fired, no bloodletting, no moans or shrieks in the night). Nonetheless, the movie has some beautiful scenes. The way the freshly arrived crooks find out that their bank's offices is above a crummy pizza parlor, for example. Or the visit in the shady count's empty palazzo. The count takes one of the elegant, anorexic chairs and smashes it to the ground to stoke the fire. (Then he hands a chair to Caine. He should have smashed it likewise, to the dismay of the Count - what are you doing? - who meant that one to be sat on. Instead Caine just sits down - a missed opportunity!!) Also very good is the scene in the small private plane which runs into some serious turbulence, with the Count very scared an Caine not scared at all, taking the opportunity to clarify options and attitudes. Louis Jourdan, who plays the Count, is a mayor asset to the movie. Cibyll Shepherd is in one of her better parts here (interesting wardrobe and make-up) and also has a few really good scenes. Overall this movie is worth watching.
Fool's silver
aachoo14 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Michael Caine as a ambitious banker for the mafia charged with setting up a Swiss bank account to launder mob money. Soon Caine and his crew turn their attention to a secret silver mine and the film is really about the toing and froings of takeovers. Much double-dealing and subterfuge ensue but you don't really care for much of it because the director Ivan Passer keeps changing the rules. Filmed in technicolor, the movie has a washed out look and it feels like one of those friendly made for TV jobs where there are no good or bad characters. Cybil Shepherd plays younger than she is (the film is a step backwards from her role in Taxi Driver) Still she creates the only laugh in the film when she interrupts her square uptight husband on a phone call. The ensemble cast includes Joss Ackland, Jay Leno, Louis Jordan, Stephane Audran, Charles Gray, David Warner, Tom Smothers and Martin Balsalm.
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