The Silent Partner

R

1978

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

List

78%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A bank teller (Elliott Gould) skims $50,000 for himself during a robbery, and a Santa Claus crook (Christopher Plummer) wants it back.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent The Silent Partner on Prime Video.

Jeffrey S

Intense thriller with some comedy mixed in with the help of John Candy. Couldn't ask for anything better!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's Christmas time and no better time than to have a silent partner in crime Elliot Gould stars in one of his many early 1970s thrillers Based on the book by Anders Bodelson directed by Daryl Duke Gould co-stars with the late Christopher Plummer, the late John Candy, Susannah York, and Celine Lomez He plays a bank teller in Miles Cullen getting ready for the holidays Yet when a robbery occurs at his work he decides to skim $50,000 off of it But a crook Arthur in a Santa outfit is mad about the fact that it was his money Now he wants it back and will target Miles in any way Miles then meets a woman named Elaine but what are her real motives? The plot is very murky and this is so slow Not enough thrills only in spades It gets very violent near the end too But Gould and Plummer make for good rivals

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

ed m

Decent, overlooked flick. But Elliott Gould is a weak actor.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/19/23

Full Review

isla s

This is very much a cheesy 1970s thriller film. Less horror, more crime thriller. It's quite melodramatic but certainly, it's an entertaining watch regardless. I quite liked the fact it has a Christmas setting and is a bit darker than other, family-friendly Christmas films. The incident music was perhaps a little over the top at times but then again, it adds to the cheesiness, which was, in itself, amusing and entertaining in its own way. The plot is quirky and its a worthwhile watch, I'd say, just maybe don't expect too much and it's fair to say it's aged but then what do you expect, for a film from the late 1970s?. This has the feel somewhat of a TV soap drama thriller film which is worth a watch and so yes, I'd recommend it as such.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie would have to be one of the greatest holiday-themed bank heist stories ever. It has Elliot Gould in the leading role as a socially awkward bank teller who quickly finds himself in the deep end of a bank heist plan gone awry. There is also an appearance from John Candy in a small role before his acting career took off a few years later. I truly enjoyed this movie and want to watch it several more times, most likely around the Christmas holiday every year.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rarely do I ever get into any Western movie but this movie definitely is a great movie if you're not much of a western fan you might actually enjoy it because I know I certainly did

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Daryl Duke

Director

Elliott Gould

Miles Cullen

Christopher Plummer

Harry Reikle

Susannah York

Julie Carver

Céline Lomez

Elaine

Michael Kirby

Charles Packard

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

91%

73%

The Stunt Man

40%

49%

Into the Night

27%

38%

Burglar

85%

62%

Miami Blues

91%

69%

Something Wild

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Times (UK) Staff

Times (UK)

It is a taut, unassuming thriller with some pleasing, if predictable, twists, and the director, Daryl Duke, makes the most of Gould's bear-like looks and good humour.

Jul 14, 2020

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

An uncommonly clever and gripping suspense thriller. Even after the story threatens to self-destruct, you fight the impulse to suffer a major letdown, for the sake of the swell nerve-racking time you've been having up to that point.

May 9, 2018

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s a smart, well-plotted tale scripted by future Oscar-winner Curtis Hanson, adapted from the Danish novel 'Think of a Number,' but as a thriller it can get slack at times.

Apr 6, 2024

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a deliberately-paced thriller that grows more and more absorbing as time progresses...

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 2, 2021

Full Review

Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

Daryl Duke skillfully achieves a clever story about bank robbers. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Gould's blasé demeanor is perfect for his role as a meek man who's constantly underestimated by everyone around him, while Plummer is absolutely chilling as the psychotic thief.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 6, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A bank teller (Elliott Gould) skims $50,000 for himself during a robbery, and a Santa Claus crook (Christopher Plummer) wants it back.

Director: Daryl Duke
Production Co: Carolco Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 43m

Most Popular at Home Now