The Silent Partner (1978, Daryl Duke)

If you worked at the bank and knew that your bank was about to be robbed, would you take advantage of the situation by taking most of the money before it is even robbed or would you warn the company beforehand and be a hero?  This is the situation our man Miles Cullen is in here in the Silent Partner, a Canadian film from 1976 that was forgotten for some time.

Its Christmas time in the city of Toronto and Miles is working as a bank teller at the mall. Miles is played by Elliott Gould who previously stared in M*A*S*H and The Long Goodbye. He one day discovers that his place of business is about to be robbed and he has his suspect in sight. It's good old Saint Nick, the local mall Santa Clause who is constantly loitering around the bank.

Once Miles is convinced that Santa is going to rob the bank, Miles decides to take a gamble. He decides to place most of the money in his care in his personal bag under the desk (I guess they didn't have cameras in this bank). Once the robber finally makes his move, Miles is confronted with a bank note from Santa stating that he'll be shot if he doesn't hand over all the money in his care.

Of course Miles obeys the robber only now there's only a fraction of the money in his care and after it's too late, Miles sets off the silent alarm. Once the culprit realizes he's been had, he makes a run for it. But Miles has not seen the last of him; after all he did screw over a bank robber.

We later find out that this bank robber has a major police record and his name is Harry Reikle (played by Christopher Plummer) and he is not happy about losing most of his money to a bank teller. Harry even finds out where he lives and is constantly phoning him now for the money. He wrecks his home, kills his fish but still can't find the money.

One great thing about the story is the character of Miles, he's a very clever guy and Harry knows this. But is he clever enough? We also have one of Canada's most famous comedians (early in his career), John Candy as one of Miles's co-workers and the beautiful Céline Lomez as Elaine, Harry's Girl.

This low budget crime film, directed by Daryl Duke, may not be easy to find, but it is worth seeking out. It's a great little smart film with smart characters with an intriguing plot and Elliott Gould gives a convincing performance as Miles.

Rating: B+