lathe-of-heaven
Oh yes, this one is quite good. Very low key at first, but cleverly done. I'm impressed mainly because I usually do NOT like films from this period, unless they are all out Crime-Thriller / Grindhouse movies. Usually, during this time period the acting, and especially the writing is horribly dated, not to mention the extremely painful visual style of the time. BUT... I must admit that SOMEHOW this director had enough sense and forward vision to keep the aesthetics and tone of the actors and the film tightly engaging and powerfully gripping! I just watched a lovely HD print of the film and it looks VERY good, especially for it's age. The first few shots are kinda grainy and rough, but then the rest of the film looks great!I don't even usually care for Elliot Gould's super bland style, but his performance here really does suit his character and fits well with the overall theme and tone of the film.WAY more clever, tightly paced, believable, and MUCH, MUCH more satisfying than most films of this type made at this time. But, don't let the low key mood fool you; there are indeed some shocking jolts along the way. Christopher Plummer is quite a chilling and effective bad guy...If you like caper films and cat & mouse intrigue, you should very much enjoy this movie. But... Do NOT expect the 'OCEAN'S 11' type of playful style at all. Nor is it even like the edgier 'CONFIDENCE' No, no... This one is deadly serious. But, with just the slightest touch of jet black humour in one or two places.Most enjoyable and satisfying; highly recommended!
Jqn_Hgar
the perfect thriller with top notch performances from Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer as the villain, in fact he plays the kind of guys that you love to hate, so mean and sadistic but at the same time Sharp as a nail. on the other hand the screenplay was amazing giving interesting characters that you start to care about from the first time you see them, all in all this is one of the best thrillers i've seen in my whole life, i'm surprised that it didn't have the acclaim it deserves when it first came out and i think that is due to all the nudity and violence in it but if you're looking for an intense thriller in a cold dark rainy night this is the one for you.
Seltzer
If you want to watch Christopher Plummer beat up and kill women, then this is the film for you. There are a couple of interesting plot twists, but they can't make up for the lackluster acting of Elliott Gould and Susannah York. He's completely unbelievable as the clerk who is more devious than he seems to be--he's just walking through the role. And it's ridiculous that these gorgeous women would be falling all over him. Susannah York says she's unhappy with her life but you'd never know it from her flat affect and flat delivery. In fact, everyone in this film seems to be on Valium except Christopher Plummer's character, who should be force-fed large amounts of it. A nasty little film. I'm sorry I watched it.
ghall3-3
I saw this movie when it was in the theater originally. I remembered liking it a great deal and had looked for it for a long time. Although I remembered it as being excellent, I was 17 when I saw it originally, and probably drunk. I wasn't sure I would like it nearly as well when I was 47 and sober.I was very pleasantly surprised. Eliot Gould doesn't work for me all that often. Seems like he is unbelievable/miscast in most roles. This role is perfect for him and he does a great job. The only thing wrong with Christopher Plumber (Plummer?? I can't spell) is that he hasn't really gotten that many good roles. He has a great role in "The Silent Partner" and he swings hard and connects fully. He is completely believable and his eerie character is highly memorable.I can't think of many movies that I consider true "sleepers"-- movies that are vastly better than you would think given the lack of public attention or critical acclaim. "The Silent Partner" is on that short list. In a way it kind of reminds me of two other movies on my very short "sleeper" list-- "Blood Simple" and "Miller's Crossing." Tough to call any Coen Bros. movie a sleeper, but those got way, way less acclaim than they deserved. The Silent Partner has a similar kind of eerie intrigue to those movies. It is more similar to Blood Simple than Miller's Crossing. The plot and characters in Miller's Crossing were pushed to the point of hyperbole--and that line was kept the whole movie, but never crossed to the point of eroding the suspense. But, The Silent Partner displays many of the same virtues Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing have. It cracks into my top 50 movies. If you watch it on DVD, treat it like you are at the theater-- dark room, no interruptions, etc. It would be a waste not to.
AD
