The Silent Partner
It's not about the money... It's about revenge.
Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould) discovers how interesting life can be when he is transformed from quiet bank teller into daring, ingenious bank robber in a matter of seconds. Held up at the bank by a thief (Christopher Plummer), Miles manages to stash most of the money in a deposit box first and shortchange the thief. But this kicks off a great battle of wits when the thief realizes what happened and is determined to take revenge. It only inspires Miles to new heights of courage, leading him to seduce the robber's girlfriend (Celine Lomez) and even his boss's mistress (Susannah York) to keep the money. Filled with equal parts intrigue, romance and unexpected twists, this psychological thriller also features John Candy in an early film role.
Member Reviews
Worth a look - MatthewE
It's a decent movie. Doesn't hide at all that it's set in Toronto, which is nice (my wife and I kept saying things to each other like, "Yeah, that's the TTC, all right," and "I wonder what neighbourhood that house is in," and "the yellow police cars! Remember them?"). Lots of women taking off their shirts. Problems: One really gory scene that doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the movie; the whole thing moves *very slowly*; the plot basically demands that Christopher Plummer's character be crazy and unreasonable; if he's not, then there's no movie. (Also, after the aforementioned gory scene, Elliott Gould should have gone right to the cops; fun is fun, but this is serious.)The Silent Partner. - Sodbuster
Five Stars. What an excellent Canadian made movie! Elliot Gould was perfectly cast for his role in this film. He was the shy and charming bank clerk. Susannah York was the very lovely co-worker who was so attracted to him. They eventually eloped at the end of the movie. Christopher Plummer played his role with skill; he had me believing that he was a psychopath. The plot was very clever and had many twists. I have viewed this movie several times and it just gets better. It was filmed in Toronto, you know. You will not regret renting this movie. The condition of the DVD itself was excellent and gave me no problems.Excellent Suspense Thriller - newdaysof
Elliot Gould plays a timid bank clerk who turns into a calculating thief when he stumbles across the perfect scheme to defraud his bank of money. Christopher Plummer takes on the unusual role of playing a ruthless bank robber and killer. Both men do superb jobs in their roles.
This movie takes an unusual twist on a bank robbery story with an ingenius plot that keeps twisting and turning and keeps you guessing right to the end. This is film-making at its best: there are no special effects and no big shoot-outs or car chases but the suspense and tension and thrills keep building and building until the very last second. The directing, editing, script and score are excellent.
It is interesting to see a very-young John Candy in a non-comedy role as a bank teller. I even think Tom Jacobek, the Toronto politician, plays a cameo role in several of the scenes.
Shot in and around Toronto neighbourhoods and identified as Toronto (not pretending to be an American city), there are many scenes inside the Eaton Centre, the TTC subway, and the "beaches" and is a showcase of the city in the 1970's. You can get a rare glimpse of the old TTC streetcars as well as seeing what the old Canadian currency looked like including one dollar bills, two dollar bills and the old-style 10's, 20's, 50's, 100's.
Also notice the metaphor of the fish tank. Throughout the film, there are subtle comparisons between the lives of the fish and the bank tellers. Near the end, both the fish tank, and the panes of glass at the bank are smashed setting the inhabitants free.
Overall, this is an excellent suspense thriller that in my opinion is far more entertaining than the big-budget Batman-Dark Knight film (which is essentially a bank-robbery film too), but on a fraction of the budget and special effects. It makes you nostaligic for the good old days of film-making when plot meant more than over-priced comic book superheroes.
Member Reviews
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Worth a look - MatthewE
It's a decent movie. Doesn't hide at all that it's set in Toronto, which is nice (my wife and I kept saying things to each other like, "Yeah, that's the TTC, all right," and "I wonder what neighbourhood that house is in," and "the yellow police cars! Remember ...The Silent Partner. - Sodbuster
Five Stars. What an excellent Canadian made movie! Elliot Gould was perfectly cast for his role in this film. He was the shy and charming bank clerk. Susannah York was the very lovely co-worker who was so attracted to him. They eventually eloped at the end ...Excellent Suspense Thriller - newdaysof
Elliot Gould plays a timid bank clerk who turns into a calculating thief when he stumbles across the perfect scheme to defraud his bank of money. Christopher Plummer takes on the unusual role of playing a ruthless bank robber and killer. Both men do superb ...