The Silent Partner (1978)

A timid bank teller anticipates a bank robbery and steals the money himself before the crook arrives. When the sadistic crook realizes he's been fooled, he tracks down the teller and engages him in a cat-and-mouse chase for the cash.

Director:

Daryl Duke

Writers:

Curtis Hanson (screenplay), Anders Bodelsen (novel)

Stars:

Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elliott Gould	...	Miles Cullen
Christopher Plummer	...	Reikle
Susannah York	...	Julie
Céline Lomez	...	Elaine
Michael Kirby	...	Charles Packard
Sean Sullivan	...	Bank Guard
Ken Pogue	...	Detective Willard
John Candy	...	Simonsen
Gail Dahms-Bonine	...	Louise (as Gail Dahms)
Micheal Donaghue	...	Berg
Jack Duffy	...	Fogelman
Nancy Simmonds	...	Girl in Sauna
Nuala Fitzgerald	...	Safety Deposit Box Woman
Guy Sanvido	...	Locksmith
Charlotte Blunt	...	Mrs. Packard

Storyline

A bank teller is held up at gun point in his bank. Luckily for him he receives a clue that this is going to occur and diverts most of the cash into his own safety deposit box, leaving only a nominal amount for the crook. The ruse works well, but for the fact that the crook resents the fact that he has been outsmarted. There ensues a terrific battle of wits involving the clever but basically "moral" teller, and the cunning and totally uninhibited bank robber, which involves several other people in ways which cannot be revealed here.

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Plot Keywords:

bank teller | bank robbery | money | neo noir | canuxploitation | 

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Taglines:

"The Silent Partner" begins with a crime of sheer genius and builds to a climax of sheer terror!

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'argent de la banque

Filming Locations:

The Silver Dollar Room, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The bank robbery plot appears to have been taken from the film L'Etrange Monsieur Steve (1957) or the novel upon which the 1957 film was based, La Revanche des Mediocres by the film's writer, Marcel-Georges Pretre.

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Goofs

The bank robber flees and steals a car from someone that is tying a Christmas tree to the roof of it. The bank robber drives away, throwing the car owner on the wet pavement. But, before that, you can see that the seat of his pants are already wet, proving they did the stunt more than once.

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Quotes

Julie Carver: I don't understand you, Miles.
[long pause]
Julie Carver: And I'm not sure I want to.

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Connections

Referenced in From Stereo to Video (2014)

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Soundtracks

C'mon Downtown
Written and Recorded by Nancy Simmonds

User Reviews

One of the Best Thrillers of the 70s

This is where everything that makes good suspense comes together, a well-paced story, authentic characters, a clever hero, terrific direction, just the right atmosphere and fine writing.

The actors make it all the more outstanding, Elliott Gould, who has phenomenal range spanning from dry comedy to innocence to riveting dramatics and angst-driven neuroses, delivers here one of his best.

Susannah York lights up the screen with her sparkle and talent.

All the others are equally effective, plus we have the added bonus of the great John Candy.

If you get a chance to see it, go for it!!