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Title: The Silent Partner (1978)
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| 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 |
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. Written by Geoff Jamieson <GJamieso@vitgnos1.telecom.com.au>
Riveting battle of wits. Clever bank teller Cullen (Gould) figures out way to filch cash from bank and get it blamed on a robber (Plummer) who gets away with only a minor amount. Trouble is robber Reikle figures out where the bulk went and decides to harass Cullen into sharing his amount. But Cullen cleverly leads cops to Reikle's flat where they arrest him. Now it looks like Cullen's home free, but is he.
Cullen's a fascinating character. Humorless and nerdy, he appears married to the bank and his big aquarium. But inside that deadpan appearance lurks a calculating brain that knows an opportunity when he sees one. Thus, as Cullen knows, strength can lie in being underestimated as he usually is.
This would seem one of actor Gould's easier assignments since Cullen rarely breaks an expressionless exterior. Nonetheless, the humorless part really requires a lot of self-control, which Gould manages in ace fashion. On the other hand, Plummer doesn't get much screen time, but Reikle's icy stare and mocking voice make an unsettling contrast to Cullen. Girl-wise, the blonde York has a rather thankless role as bank co-worker Julie who sort of likes the diffident teller, but can't figure him out. On the other hand, Cullen seems mildly interested one minute only to turn cold the next as he calculates what his various schemes require. It's really Lomez who gets the plum part as the steamy Elaine. Not bothered by his odd manner, she quickly attaches to the conflicted Cullen who has trouble resisting.
All in all, the plot threads are cleverly woven into a compelling whole, along with an apt ending . And I like the idea of the enclosed but breakable aquarium as a key metaphor. Anyway, the film's an outstanding 110-minutes, whether taken as a solid crime suspenser or as an imaginative character study. Either way, it's highly entertaining.