The Silent Partner (1978)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Silent Partner (1978) – D. Duke

Elliott Gould plays Miles Cullen, the head teller at a Toronto bank who figures out in advance that his branch is about to be the target of a stick-up. Opportunistically, he puts most of the bank’s cash in his own bag, letting the thief, Reikle (Christopher Plummer), get away with only a paltry sum. Soon however Reikle rings up demanding the rest of the loot from his “silent partner”. Although seemingly mild-mannered, Cullen outsmarts the sadistic Reikle every step of the way. At the same time, he romances co-worker Julie (Susannah York) as well as his late father’s young nurse (Celine Lomez). In fact, everyone seems to underestimate Miles. Of course, suspense builds from the cat-and-mouse game between him and Reikle – and it isn’t all fun-and-games: there’s a shockingly violent scene suitable for an exploitation flick to cap it off. Apparently the film won a number of awards in Canada (John Candy also works at the bank) and it holds up fine as a middle of the range seventies thriller. If you appreciate Gould, check it out.