71. The Journeyman: Curtis Hanson #4: The Silent Partner (1978)
It’s our 2nd annual Christmas Episode! Our journey through the work of Curtis Hanson brings us to the Christmas crime thriller The Silent Partner (1978). Hanson wrote the screenplay, based on a Danish novel, with the hope that he would direct. Things didn’t work out that way but he did have a hand in completing the film. We talk about Christopher Plummer’s incredible and frightening performance as a psychopathic bank robber; it might be his most intense performance as a villain. We also talk about Elliott Gould’s great performance as a mild mannered bank teller who only seems average and unassuming. There’s a lot to discuss from how the film balances sometimes wildly different tones, to the Canadian tax shelter film era, an appearance of a young John Candy, and how, despite very positive reviews, The Silent Partner went mostly unseen in America. Tangents include: First Blood and the Rambo movies and declaring that Showgirls is forever. This episode’s themed drink was: Glühwein
