Silver Bears

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.