the silent partner

Director: daryl duke

Actor: elliott gould,christopher plummer,susannah york,céline lomez

Data Published: Thu Sep 07 1978

Genres: Crime,Drama,Thriller

Key Words: bank teller,bank robbery,money,neo noir,canuxploitation

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078269/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silent_Partner_(1978_film)

Description: The Silent Partner is a movie starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, and Susannah York. A timid bank teller anticipates a bank robbery and steals the money himself before the crook arrives. When the sadistic crook realizes...

Plot: Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould), a bored teller at a small bank in a large Toronto shopping mall (the Eaton Centre), accidentally learns that his place of business is about to be robbed when he finds a discarded note on one of the bank's counters. He also figures out who the would-be robber will be when he sees a mall Santa Claus hanging around outside the bank whose "give to charity" sign is in handwriting similar to that on the discarded stick-up note. Instead of informing his bosses or contacting the police, Miles devises a way of keeping the cash from most of his window's transactions in an old lunch box rather than in the bank's till. As a result, when the Santa Claus robber holds up Miles at the teller's desk, he nets far less than the police and the bank think he has. The Santa Claus thief, a misogynistic psychopath named Harry Reikle (Christopher Plummer), figures out what happened, then makes a series of desperate and violent attempts to get the money (totaling CA$48,300) that Miles has kept for himself. Reikle starts following Miles to and from his home, making harassing phone calls. Miles's coolness under pressure attracts the attention of bank colleague Julie Carver (Susannah York), who has been having an affair with the bank's married manager Charles Packard. After escorting Julie to a Christmas party at the Packards' house, he reveals his own attraction to Julie. Their co-worker Simonson (John Candy) becomes infatuated with a young ditzy blonde named Louise, a teller at the bank. Miles discovers that Louise is cheating on Simonson with another co-worker, but never reveals what he knows, even after Simonson and the pregnant Louise get married. When the menacing Reikle breaks into Miles' apartment and trashes it to look for the stolen bank money, Miles turns the tables yet again by following Reikle, then sets him up to be arrested for the theft of a delivery truck. When brought to the police station to identify Reikle in a lineup, Miles does not point him out, aware that Reikle would then implicate him in the bank robbery. A few months later, at his father's funeral, Miles meets a flirtatious woman named Elaine (Celine Lomez), who says she was a nurse who had been caring for his father. In fact, Elaine is secretly working with Reikle, who is still in jail. Elaine has been visiting Reikle there. But by the time Elaine discovers that Miles has stashed the holdup money in a safety deposit box at the bank, Reikle no longer trusts her, correctly sensing that Elaine has become romantically involved with Miles. Miles figures out Elaine is not who she claims to be. But when he loses the safety deposit box key, Miles gets Elaine to help by disguising herself as a bank customer, and she manages to get access to the box, while Miles gets new keys. Julie, meanwhile, has begun to suspect something about Miles and his new girlfriend. Reikle is released from jail and confronts Elaine over where her loyalties lie. When she admits that she has indeed fallen in love with Miles, an enraged Reikle murders and decapitates her at Miles' apartment. Miles is forced to dispose of her body in the foundation for the bank's new building, under construction. Reikle then confronts Miles and says that he intends to kill him, too, unless he gets the money. Miles refuses to part with it except in a public place where no harm can come to him. They agree that Reikle will come to the bank, again in disguise, and be handed the money at Miles' window, where Miles will feel safe. The next day, Reikle arrives dressed as a woman. After Miles hands a packet, Reikle promises to kill him for the inconvenience that he's been caused. Anticipating that Reikle would say just that, Miles immediately triggers the alarm. Reikle pulls a gun and shoots Miles, then flees into the mall, where he is shot dead by the bank security guard. A wounded Miles is taken away by ambulance. Julie goes along, telling Miles that she has figured out everything. He reveals to Julie that he has the stolen bank money, which she also knows. Both decide the time is right to quit their jobs and find another line of work, somewhere far away.