The Silent Partner (1978)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Daryl Duke

Writers:

Curtis Hanson (screenplay)
Anders Bodelsen (novel)

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

"The Silent Partner" begins with a crime of sheer genius and builds to a climax of sheer terror!

Plot:

This is an imaginative plot, yet one with which the viewer can readily identify. A bank teller (Elliot Gould) is held up at gun point in his bank...

Plot Keywords:

Bank Teller | Pay Phone | Female Nudity | Barricading | Cross Dressing

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Elliott Gould	...	Miles Cullen
Christopher Plummer	...	Harry Reikle
Susannah York	...	Julie Carver
Céline Lomez	...	Elaine
Michael Kirby	...	Charles Packard
Sean Sullivan	...	Frank, Bank Guard
Ken Pogue	...	Detective Willard
John Candy	...	Simonsen
Gail Dahms-Bonine	...	Louise (as Gail Dahms)
Michael Donaghue	...	Berg
Jack Duffy	...	Fogelman
Nancy Simmonds	...	Girl in Sauna
Nuala Fitzgerald	...	Safety Deposit Box Woman
Guy Sanvido	...	Locksmith
Charlotte Blunt	...	Mrs. Vivian Packard
Aino Pirskanen	...	Mrs. Evanchuk
Michele Rosen	...	Young Woman in Bank
Ben Williams	...	Newsboy
Sandy Crawley	...	Detective #2
Jan Campbell	...	Little Boy's Mother
Jimmy Davidson	...	Little Boy
Eva Norman	...	Girl at Party
John Kerr	...	Detective #3
Sue Lumsden	...	TV Newswoman
Harry Amey	...	Himself - Minister (as Reverend Harry Amey)
Candace O'Connor	...	Bank Assistant
Stephen Levy	...	Freddie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Rosato	...	Person standing outside bank door being unlocked (uncredited)

Directed by
Daryl Duke

Writing credits
Curtis Hanson		(screenplay)
Anders Bodelsen		(novel "Think of a Number")

Produced by
Garth H. Drabinsky	....	executive producer
Curtis Hanson	....	associate producer
Joel B. Michaels	....	producer
Stephen Young	....	producer

Original Music by
Oscar Peterson

Cinematography by
Billy Williams

Film Editing by
George Appleby

Casting by
Karen Hazzard

Production Design by
Trevor Williams

Set Decoration by
Dave Deyell
Gerry Holmes		(as Gerald Holmes)

Makeup Department
Ken Brooke	....	makeup artist
Adrian Hoffman	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Brenda Bonner	....	assistant production manager
Liz Butterfield	....	production manager
Gary Flanagan	....	assistant production manager
Marilyn Stonehouse	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rossie Grose	....	second assistant director
Alan Simmonds	....	first assistant director
Rudy Wrench	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Andres Bartels	....	assistant art director
Denis Kirkham	....	production laborer (as Dennis Kirkham)
Cy Langevin	....	assistant props
Steve Shewchuk	....	property master

Sound Department
David Appleby	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gary Bourgeois)
Michael Dandy	....	assistant sound editor
Abe De Cesare	....	boom swinger (as Abe de Cesare)
Brian French	....	assistant sound editor
Glen Gauthier	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Lee	....	sound recordist
Bruce Nyznik	....	sound editor
Peter Thilaye	....	sound editor (as Peter Thillaye)

Special Effects by
Bill Wood	....	special effects (as Bill Woods)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Breeze	....	gaffer
Tom Finnen	....	assistant grip
Ron Gillham	....	key grip
David Harcourt	....	camera operator
Stephen M. Katz	....	photography: second unit (as Stephen Katz)
David Lucas	....	electrician
Joachim Martin	....	second assistant camera (as Jock Martin)
Anthony R. Palmieri	....	first assistant camera (as Anthony Palmieri)
Herb Reischl Jr.	....	best boy (as Herb Reichl)
John Russ	....	dolly grip
Laszlo Szilvassy	....	still photographer (as Laszlo Szilvassey)
Cliff West	....	generator operator
Brian Woodroof	....	electrician (as Brian Woodruff)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gayle Franklin	....	assistant wardrobe (as Gayle Mcleod)
Debi Weldon	....	wardrobe (as Deborah Weldon)

Editorial Department
Michael Clark	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Leonard A. Engel	....	music recording supervisor (as Len Engel)
Kenneth Wannberg	....	conductor (as Ken Wannberg)
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music arranger (as Ken Wannberg)
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
John Cocks	....	driver captain
Bill Jackson	....	driver captain

Other crew
Peter Cresswell	....	production assistant (as Peter Creswell)
Cyril Drabinsky	....	production assistant
Natalie Drache	....	script supervisor
Alice Ferrier	....	production coordinator
Hal Galli	....	representative: Cine Guarantor
Hannah Hempstead	....	associate to producers
Mario Kassar	....	presenter
Margaret Livingston	....	production secretary (as Margaret A. Livingston)
Heather McIntosh	....	production accountant
Linda Shapiro	....	unit publicist
Andrew G. Vajna	....	presenter (as Andrew Vajna)
Lisa King	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Carolco Entertainment

Distributors

• EMC (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mid-America Releasing (1979) (USA: Midwest) (theatrical)
• Crest Film Distributors (1979) (USA: West Coast) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Europa Film (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Transvídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Vestron Video (1982) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

L'argent de la banque (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1979) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1995) | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Australia:R | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Eaton Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Carolco Entertainment

Trivia:

The main location for this movie, shown in the opening shot, is the Toronto Eaton Centre. It was built shortly before the movie was shot.

Quotes:

Miles Cullen: Sometimes it's better if you just like someone, nothing more than that.
Elaine: Like someone and have... a little something in common.
Miles Cullen: Like money?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Terror in the Aisles (1984)

Soundtrack:

C'mon Downtown

Bullseye!

Technically mediocre, but an adrenaline-fueled crime-thriller adapted from Anders Bodelsen's book "Think of a Number". Bank employee Elliott Gould dupes bank robber Christopher Plummer out of a small fortune, leading to a head-spinning game of cat-and-mouse. Gould and Plummer both do career-peak work, with Plummer never more riveting (violence turns him on, making him a dangerous, bloodthirsty cat). The film's R-rated mayhem may be over-the-top, but the movie is never off-putting and director Daryl Duke, working from Curtis Hanson's screenplay, nearly keeps it on track the entire way. Duke mounts the proceedings with flair, accentuating the coal-black humor inherent in the tension for a terrifically lively effect. Engrossing picture was unjustly swept under the carpet in 1978, but has more excitement than most big-budget films in this genre. Watch out! ***1/2 from ****