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 by), Anders Bodelsen (based on the novel "Think of a Number" by)

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 (as Michael Donaghue)
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:

santa claus costume | christmas carol | mall | security guard | subway | 

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Taglines:

A masterpiece of cunning and suspense... In a web of mounting tension, a beautiful girl is trapped and torn between two lovers, climaxing in a scene more terrifying than a nightmare!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The computer terminal Miles uses at the bank is from Burroughs' L/TC series.

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Goofs

The Holocanthus Tricolor is a saltwater angelfish commonly known as a Rock Beauty. The fish shown in the movie is a freshwater angelfish.

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Quotes

Harry Reikle: I'm just going to give you a little time... to try to be reasonable. If you decide you're not going to be reasonable, then one night when you come home, you'll find me *inside*, waiting for you. And that will be the night you'll wish you'd never been born.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma V: 70s Action Attack! (2020)

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Soundtracks

C'mon Downtown
Written and Recorded by Nancy Simmonds

User Reviews

Recluse bank teller vs. an utter sociopath

Recluse bank teller Gould spots a robbery in the making when he eyes a creepy mall Santa carefully planning his heist. Rather than alerting the authorities he decides to one-up the robber by stashing a hefty sum in his lunch box and only handing over a portion of it to the robber. Then begins a cat and mouse game between the teller and the psychotic robber.

Despite being a wonderful time capsule in showing the 70's decadent lifestyle, this little suspense film serves up the goods in many respects. The tight and incredibly inventive script, deliberate pacing and some show stopping moments (including one particularly nasty scene) ensure "The Silent Partner" is a real keeper.

Gould does well in the lead, delivering his usual relaxed performance but Plummer is the real winner here. Here he creates a truly disturbing sociopath who really gets under your skin.

As said, the script be Curtis Hanson is top notch. The Gould/Plummer duel is excellent and the fairly plot ridden story is tightly written, although some twists were fairly obvious.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Silent Partner

Filming Locations:

6 Howard Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Cine Guarantors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1