In Toronto, the methodical and lonely bank teller Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould) works in a bank in a shopping mall. He feels unrequited love for his coworker Julie Carver (Susannah York) but she is having a love affair with the married bank manager Charles Packard (Michael Kirby). One day, Cullen discovers a note on the counter indicating that the bank will be robbed and he soon identifies the handwriting of a Santa Claus in the mall as the author of the note. However he does not tell the police about of his findings and he hides a large amount of cash in his lunch box. When the thief heists the bank, he keeps the money for him. Soon the thief Harry Reikle (Christopher Plummer),who is a psychopath, tracks Cullen down, breaks in his apartment and threatens him to give the robbed money to him. However Cullen sets Reikle up and he is arrested for stealing a van. Meanwhile Cullen's father dies and he meets his nurse Elaine Muriel (Céline Lomez) at the funeral. They have a love affair and Cullen finds that she is working with Reikle that is in jail. But she is in love with Cullen and helps him to recover the key of the safety deposit box that he had lost. But soon Reikle is released from jail. What will happen to Cullen and Elaine?

"The Silent Partner" is one of the best thrillers from the 70's, with an intelligent story and top-notch performances. Christopher Plummer is scary in the role of psychopath. The gorgeous Susannah York and Céline Lomez have important participations. Elliott Could steals the show with another brilliant performance. The unforgettable John Candy has a minor role in the plot. The cat-and-mouse game between Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer is breathless and increases the intensity along the story. After almost forty years, this film has not lost the impact. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Parceiro do Silêncio" (VHS)("Silent Partner")

THE SILENT PARTNER is one of those neat little twists-all-over-the-place thrillers that slip in under the radar and remain undiscovered by the public at large until somebody brings them out on budget DVD or decides to show them on late-night television. This one escaped from Canada in the late '70s, and first appears to be a television movie, until the viewer is drowned in a world of nudity and sadistic violence.

It's a quiet, mild-mannered film with a couple of shocking moments that earned it an 'X' certificate when it was released in Britain. Essentially it's a two-hander between a corrupt bank teller and the vicious bank robber, although you'll never guess the outcome, thanks to the literate script which goes all over the place - thanks, Curtis Hanson - and the little touches, like the keys in the jam jar, which really add to the experience.

Elliott Gould headlines the cast with a laid back performance, and he's utterly convincing as an 'ordinary' guy who decides to do something a little 'extra' ordinary. Christopher Plummer is better known as a character actor but here he makes for a totally convincing villain, a truly sadistic criminal whose fish-tank scene remains clear-as-day in my head as one of cinema's most disturbing moments. There are plenty of other good performances too, from the likes of Susannah York and a young, unknown John Candy, and special mention has to be made of the very lovely Celine Lomez. After a barnstorming opening, the film suffers from a slightly 'sagging middle' in which nothing much seems to happen for about half an hour, and the pacing grinds down to a virtual halt; however, the action picks up for a fantastic ending which ties up the loose ends rather nicely.

Another sleeper that became one of my favorite films. Eliott Gould plays a bank teller who anticipates a robbery. He tricks the actual bank robber and takes the money for himself. Two things happen. Someone else is blamed and the bad guy (Christopher Plummer) is not going to rest until he gets his money. He also is sadistic enough to want Gould's head. What transpires is parry and thrust between Gould and Plummer with the latter being a really big threat. The way this plays out shows how incredible plotting can make a good movie great. This is the way movies should be made. Gould was a kind of icon of this era. The conclusion is so very satisfying, not clichéd or contrived like so many are.