MovieChat Forums > The Silent Partner (1979) Discussion > Plot Hole: Why does Harry rob the bank?

Plot Hole: Why does Harry rob the bank?

posted 15 years ago by klantry
20 replies | jump to latest

Specifically: Why doesn't Harry just strongarm the storeowner he follows in? Now, clearly he wants to make the robbery while there's a large quantity of cash in the drawer. By robbing the bank, instead of the storeowner, he does get whatever other money is in the till, but the tradeoff is:
> There's an armed guard.
> There's an alarm system.
> There are cameras.
> You're that much further from the exit.
> I don't know if it works the same in Canada as the US, but 99% of the time robbing a bank is a federal offense- more people looking for you, harsher penalties.

Given that, mugging the storeowner in the elevator seems a better plan.

Also, Harry seems to improvise an escape - he carjacks a car getting a Christmas tree tied on. I would have thought he had something more organized - a plan to lose the Santa costume in a hurry.

"Well, there it is."

[–] SoTyred 15 years ago

The even bigger plot hole (or maybe just terrible writing) is that he just didn't turn the guy in when he saw his face and after the calls. All he hadda do was say the guy was harrasing him, they'd have made the connection they did later(more bad writing), and they would have arrested him, done. All he hadda do was turn the guy in.

This movie makes no sense.

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] Doom 15 years ago

I'm confused - I thought the reason he didn't just "turn the guy in" was because he didn't want the bank to know he was basically IN on the whole robbery as well (meaning HE took money from the bank as well, etc.) No?

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[–] SoTyred 15 years ago

How would the bank have known? Because a 2 bit criminal with armed robbery history claimed so??? He didn't even know where the money was!!! Very bad writing.

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] Doom 15 years ago

I see your point, but I just assumed he didn't even want any 'suspicion' on him.

Still love the movie, never considered it bad writing - guess we'll agree to disagree.

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[–] SoTyred 15 years ago

I gave the movie a 6 rating, because even with that blatant error, it still reeled me in and kept me watching. It was a good thriller, but that knowcked it down a notch.

Also great acting and...well it was a good idea. Harry seemed too 'together' to think anyone would believe what a guy with a record of armed robbery could convince the cops he had something to do with it. It was stressed that he was very charismatic several times.

I'd watch it again, just like I'd watch The Dark Knight again , even tho that had VAST errors of the same kind. I only ranked TDK one above this. No I won't say anymore about that here, I'm just making an analogy. ;)

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] Studman_Productions 15 years ago

The Dark Knight is an excellent film. Nolan rocks.

[–] SoTyred 15 years ago

The many statements on society and it's lack of integrity are A+. The acting is A+. I watch it over and over as it's running on dish just for those parts. The Joker actually being correct was a master stroke.

Everything else was just plain stupid. Bad action, stupid plot devices, and silly coincidence.

Thats all Im gonna say about it, I already caved and spoke about it here ;).

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[–] Studman_Productions 15 years ago

if you want good action watch tombstone!

[–] bullit2513 14 years ago

How did Miles find the 1st note to begin with? Had Harry already robbed one of the other tellers successfully? I could be missing something there, but that scene didn't make sense to me.

"Congratulations, Major. It appears that at last you have found yourself a real war." Ben Tyreen

[–] CorumJI 11 years ago

}}}} How did Miles find the 1st note to begin with? Had Harry already robbed one of the other tellers successfully? I could be missing something there, but that scene didn't make sense to me.

He was being creative, attempting to ask Julie out on a date, he scrawled the invitation with his finger on the deposit slip, using its self-carbon (wiki "carbon paper", for you punks too young to know about it... LOLZ) quality to reveal the message.

This happened to be the same deposit slip that Harry had used during his dry run, which had his unique "C" (iirc) on it, which Miles also spotted when walking through the mall and realized what was up.

It was kind of inventive, and showed that Miles was not the nebbish he appeared to be, setting the stage, personality-wise, for his later behavior.

[–] kausix777 11 years ago

Exactly. hence, this is not a plot hole.

btw, the letter was G.

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

"All he had to do was say the guy was harrassing him".

Now why would Plummer harrass him if he didn´t know Gould had the money? Doesn´t make any sense.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

That post was made 3 years ago. I'd have to watch the film again.

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies 14 years ago

It's a plothole that you think the character isn't as smart as you would be??

Typically, "dumb moves" by criminals are precipitated by them believing that they're smarter than others and won't get caught anyway . . . there might be some irony here.

Look at the mistakes that the Craigslist killer made, for just one example.

http://www.rateyourmusic.com/~JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies

[–] Doom 14 years ago

Good point.

Although, I have to admit, I liked the move he made when he killed himself.

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jah/dc 13 years ago

1. He robbed the bank rather than the individual because he knew, if he went to the same teller, he would get AT LEAST a big deposit, and all the other money in the drawer.

2. Elliot Gould didn't ID Harry because he didn't want Harry to be questioned about the bank robbery, as that would focus attenion on EG again. He set up the arrest to get Harry off the street and off his back, but in a way that wouldn't draw attention back to the bank.

3. How did he originally find the first unused note? That was clearly shown in the early scene where EG was flirting with SY, writing with his fingernail on the 2-part deposit slips. The pressure on the top form left no mark, but due to the carbon paper the image of what he wrote was visible when he revealed the copy underneath. Clearly, the bank robber had written his first, unused note while standing at that counter, and the 2 part form was underneath the note he wrote, so a carbon copy was visible.

[–] CorumJI 11 years ago

Exactly. The movie is remarkably good for a low-budget thriller, with good performances from all the actors involved to add to it. One of the two best films (along with "A Little Romance") that I saw in 1979.

Looking at it nowadays, it suffers a bit in the pacing department, because we've all gotten used to post-MTV editing.

MTV, along with "A Streetcar Named Desire", identify two of the seminal breakpoints in filmmaking, that can make it difficult for someone to watch when they are first getting used to the differences before/after. Just as acting changed from "casting to type" to "real" acting after streetcar, the pacing of almost all films sped up considerably starting around 1980 or so. Older films with car chase sequences, like Bullitt or The French Connection, whose chase sequences were believed very frenetic and fast when released, seem almost comically slow to modern eyes. It's not just merely the stunts that have changed, but the expectation of the audiences to how "fast" the cuts and events occur.

[–] charliesafari 11 years ago

I totally agree, I just can't get used to flash cut editing, it seems to have got much quicker post 1995, but thankfully seems to have slowed down considerably now.
I just can't watch some films, the editing ruins the story, and the stunts are just completely ott cgi.

Oh god its official, I'm now old :) (I'm 38)

I come in peace, Shoot to kill!!!

[–] elmadman_99 7 years ago

After Harry knew for sure that Miles would give him considerable trouble in trying to get the money back, does it not make more sense for Harry to simply case and rob another bank in a different part of town or a different city?

Admittedly Harry had had to do some prep work (which Miles didn't) in casing and robbing the place, but after a certain point wouldn't it simply be easier to start again?

Or does the plotting of the entire film depend solely on wounded pride and professionalism?

Just an idea. Please post with any thoughts.