Customer Reviews

The Silent Partner

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first saw this movie on HBO back in 1982, and it struck me as the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made. The Silent Partner is a deft mixtue of suspense and humor, with enough twists to keep one guessing until the very end. I used to own it on LaserDisc, and the film was grainy and the colors rather faded. I am pleased to report that the film has aged well, and the colors on this dvd are far richer than they were on Laser or HBO. The grain is still there, but it is not a distraction. If you like suspense films and have not seen his movie, you owe it to yourself to see it.

One last word: I wish Amazon would not allow reviews for a product prior to its release. There are a number of reviews here that were written long before the DVD release ( April 3). The film is, in fact, presented in a widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio. The cover is terrible, and whoever designed it Obviously never saw the film, but what is contained within the case is well worth watching. I wish people had the sense and integrity to actually view a product prior to posting a review of it.

The Silent Partner is a suspenseful, well done thriller with some interesting twists and turns. Guaranteed to hold the attention of the viewer throughout. Very original. Convincing performances by Gould as a milque toast bank manager "gone bad" and his nemesis Plummer, a masochistic killer and bank robber. Nudity and some shocking violence. Highly recommended, but for adult viewing.

And the award for most misleading DVD cover of the year goes to Lions Gate for The Silent Partner, which scales new heights of dishonesty in its attempts to sell this very smart 1978 Canadian thriller as a Reservoir Dogs heist movie with its image of three black-suited robbers, smoking gun in hand, striding across a US hundred dollar bill, while below even the still of a huge open bank vault is from a completely different movie. By contrast, the film is set in a small shopping mall branch of a Toronto bank which Christopher Plummer's very unpleasant solo bank robber knocks off disguised as Santa Claus only to find that Elliott Gould's clued-in bank teller has pulled a fast one on him and kept $48,000 of the $50,000 haul himself, cuing an increasingly nasty game of cat and mouse where it turns out that the much underestimated Gould's cunning is more than a match for Plummer's cruelty as the stakes constantly rise. Half victim, half apprentice, Gould's boringly inconspicuous everyman finds himself surprisingly adept at crime, taking his lead from Plummer's tactics and excelling at using them against him, and not showing much more concern over any victims that fall violently by the wayside than his tormenter/inadvertent teacher. The nastiness is there but never overplayed in Curtis Hanson's smart screenplay and Daryl Duke's confident direction avoids showing off at the expense of the story. Ingeniously gripping stuff, its well worth checking out - but perhaps not recommended for any tropical fish lovers.

No extras, but a decent 1.85:1 widescreen transfer.

Mild-mannered Miles Cullen (Elliot Gould) gloms on to a robbery in its formative stages at the bank where he works as a teller. He fetches his old "Superman" lunch box and ingeniously foils the would-be robber, who still manages to escape while Miles pockets the money for himself.

With his unexpected boldness, Miles wins a temporary celebrity status, and a newfound sex appeal to use on his love-interest, Julie (played by Susannah York.) Unfortunately, Miles must come down to earth when he realizes that he has attracted another admirer, the psychopathic robber Harry Reikle, who is thoroughly enraged by the fact that Miles has thwarted him.

Elliot Gould is terrific as the nerdish but canny Miles, playing him with an abundance of smirks. Susannah York sparkles as the perky professional Julie, who shares Miles' despair over a boringly repetitious existence.

But Christopher Plummer is the scene-stealer as the viciously jealous Reikle, a particularly nasty combination of derangement, sexual kinkiness, and cunning.

An added bonus is the appearance of Celine Lomez as the ravishingly beautiful Elaine, who lavishes her attentions on Miles before meeting an untimely end. Lomez could have been a star if she had showed up a couple decades later, when Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Penelope Cruz escorted "Latino chic" into the movies. See if Celine Lomez doesn't make your heart flip-flop.

Altogether, "Silent Partner" is a first-rate chiller in the Hitchcock vein. It's peculiar, cross-dressed kinkiness preceded Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill" by a few years, and IMHO, "Silent Partner" is a better film than "Dressed to Kill".

"Silent Partner" was shot entirely in Toronto, Canada, and features a sweet film score by that city's native jazzman, Oscar Peterson.

Five stars.

Due to an initial misapplication of sunscreen, no reapplication of same and 10 hours of uninterrupted beach time one vacation, I spent a lot of time subsequently watching the motel's rotary dial TV. In addition to a debatably-necessary Doobie Brothers farewell/reunion concert, I also caught this amazing 1978 Canadian surprisingly tough heist/thriller. Elliot Gould plays a bit against type as Miles, a shy fish-collecting bank teller who stumbles onto a scheme to rob the bank and ends up robbing it himself during the heist, with the unwitting patsy, played by Mr. Edelweiss himself -- Christopher Plummer, getting away and plotting to collect the money from Miles. The plot has a very twisty assured path that frequently surprises and occasionally truly shocks. It's the kind of movie that doesn't seem to get made anymore, one with great performances, a labrynthian plot that isn't stuck on its own cleverness and a refreshingly pedestrian amount of stolen dough. I'd've given this baby five big ol' stars were it not for the somewhat-forced love angle between Miles and coworker Julie (Susannah York,) but I truly believe that this is one of the best thrillers ever made, and as many people have pointed out, it contains a bit of graphic violence (which, incidentally was purloined by a half-dozen late 70's/early 80's slasher flicks) that makes even the most hardened gore hounds either wince or give out a wide-eyed thumbs up. Toss in a non-comedic role by John Candy, a solid soundtrack and an inspiringly-low number of Canadian "eh's" (only two,) there's enough to keep you riveted to the end.

NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

I first watched this film in 1978 on a double bill. This film received no publicity and suffered from the worst distribution of any film... EVER! Garth Drabinsky (Cineplex Odeon) produced this film with massive help from the Canadian Film Board. This film was a complete Canadian production and the major distributers bought it on the cheap for US distribution. The problem was that this film is probably one of the top 20 films made in the glorious 1970's. Easily on a level with "3 Days of the Condor".

You truly had to be "in the know" to see this movie... however, it is finally released in DVD. Now you can see one of the greatest "little" movies of all time. Tight script, well acted, and directed beautifully; however, this film was done on a small budget and it shows in the film stock used. Don't let this stop you from seeing a true classic from the 70's.

PS... Don't read any of the reviews that tell you anything about the plot... enjoy it for the first time with fresh eyes and "spoiler" free.

"The Silent Partner" is one of those rare films I have enjoyed watching over and over again. Every clever detail adds to the suspense and enjoyment of this truly under-rated film. Elliot Gould is excellent in his portrayal of bank teller Miles Cullen. The viewer actually finds himself rooting for Cullen, who is not only a thief, but is stealing from his own employer! And Christopher Plummer is deliciously wicked as Cullen's twisted, off-centered "Partner", who will do anything to settle the score. The scene where he talks to Cullen through the mail slot is worth the price of admission alone...

This odd little movie -- about a bank manager who figures out a way to profit from a robbery -- kept surprising me.

I rented it after reading a capsule review and as early as the opening credits was startled to see that it has a score by jazz pro Oscar Peterson, and it's based on a script by Curtis Hanson, who would later adapt "L.A. Confidential."

It's obvious Hanson had the chops early on because "The Silent Partner" is an extremely well done, satisfyingly complex little thriller that was years ahead of its time. It has its share of jolting shifts in tone and approach, and its low-budget Canadian roots are pretty blatant, but that works to the advantage of the film; it makes viewers underestimate the movie in much the same way that characters underestimate the protagonist.

Elliott Gould's awkward bank manager figures out that his branch is about to be held up so he stashes $48,000 beforehand for himself. The psychotic robber, played by Christopher Plummer (with a cold, preening style that reminded me of Kevin Spacey back when Kevin Spacey was Kevin Spacey), realizes he's been shafted and comes after the money. In a big way.

It's kind of disconcerting to see Gould, in the years not long after "California Split" and "The Long Goodbye," play such an unapologetic, low-key dork -- unimpressing women with his love of tropical fish and propping chairs against his front door -- but the story basically requires it.

Plummer is great as the made-up, bad jewelry-wearing villain whose extreme methods almost (*almost*) take the movie places it shouldn't go. And Celine Lomez, who plays one of Gould's two love interests, is so smoking hot I almost couldn't believe it; she's also a solid enough actor to put across her character's complicated loyalties.

With its mix of nerdiness and unexpected complexity, "The Silent Partner" reminds me of some flawed-but-likeable, lesser-known films written by John Patrick Shanley ("The January Man" specifically) and William Goldman ("No Way to Treat a Lady") but it succeeds where those movies eventually break down: in the plotting.

I'm not sure why the DVD's distributors felt they had to market this as a "Reservoir Dogs"-type movie (the cover art depicts armed, black-suited robbers who never actually appear in the film trodding across an American $100 Benjamin, despite that all the currency shown in the film in Canadian), but "The Silent Partner" does share "Dogs"'s infectious love of cinema and its startling, twisty, relentless intelligence.

It took a long time for this movie to be released on DVD. I saw this in the mid '80s and taped it from TV. Unfortunately the quality of the tape is not good, so I can't watch it anymore. This is a great, smart thriller with good perfomances by Elliot Gould and especially Christopher Plummer. This is a kind of thriller that seldom get's made these days. Finally this forgotten classic can be enjoyed again.

I first saw this film in 1979, and it was much better than what I was expecting. This is a good example of a "B" movie that far surpasses so many of the heavily hyped "A" productions. Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer are outstanding in their roles, with solid work from Susannah York and the then virtually unknown John Candy. The plot is compelling all the way through, the suspense never falters, and the logic is "airtight", for people like myself who are annoyed with thrillers that don't thrill, and plots that have more holes than the pavement in downtown Belgrade. Only a single scene of gruesome and gratuitous violence detracts from what is a really fine film of its kind.