Review of The Silent Partner (1978) by Robin W — 04 Jul 2009

An underrated little gem of a thriller that's been overlooked over the years, maybe due to its Canadian heritage, but is just as exciting and well-made as most Hollywood crime pictures. Based on a sharp script written by a young Curtis Hanson, the film is a very intriguing, cleverly plotted cat-and-mouse game between hero and villain, with effective touches of black humor and some jarring moments of violence.

Christopher Plummer is a terrific bad guy, who starts off the film dressed as Santa Claus and (quite unexpectedly) plays his climactic scene dressed in drag, but is scary and intimidating to make it all work! Canadian viewers will also appreciate the brunt of the action taking place in the Toronto Eaton Centre, the chance to see John Candy in an early non-comedic role, and a rare film score from legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson!