MovieChat Forums > The Silent Partner (1979) Discussion > What?? (spoilers)

What?? (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by quietrobert
2 replies | jump to latest

I didn't understand half the motivations behind various scenarios in this movie. First off, why couldn't he call the cops and just have Plummer arrested? It would have been his word against a notorious criminal, there wouldn't have been any evidence at all and unless he somehow knew Plummer would get shot in the end he basically ended up doing that after all. And why were they so worried about Julie getting back when they were changing the locks? It would have taken more than a glance to recognize her in that get up and she probably wouldn't have even noticed. And why did he jump off the railing when he was carrying the body? Isn't the thing laying there just as suspicious as walking by with it? It just looked like a carpet anyway. And why didn't he just call the cops when he found the dead girl? He could have said he went out to get some cigarettes and came back and found her that way or something. That would have been a lot easier. I feel like the whole plot of the movie was a series of problems that weren't really problems. The ending is him sicking the cops on Plummer's character which he could have just as easily done right after he called.

[–] breaker33 14 years ago

I'll answer some of your questions since I saw this today. The jumping off the rail thing, I believe that Miles thought that the mailman would see him carrying it and that looked suspicious to me (the lump in the carpet).

Onto the dead girl, I believe that she was decapitated and there was blood all over the place. That would have left him open to a lot of questions by the police. If Plummer's character had just killed her I would have agreed with you, but that was a brutal crime scene.

[–] kausix777 10 years ago

In a major bank robbery, part of the police's work is to recover the money.
So, any suspicion is good suspicion and Cullen wanted to stay above it. Once under suspicion, it would have been difficult for him to carry or keep the money. Even putting it in a locker would be questioned at that point.

He didn't realise that Plummer was not a petty criminal. But Plummer got more dangerous. So, his actions in the end was more to get rid of plummer and "return" the money to the bank (when it was clear he couldn't have it anyway). But earlier on, he thought he could get away with the money and Plummer, as a petty thief, would be happy with what he got.

Julie might have known the real customer. Secondly, Julie would have checked to see if the signatures really matched.

When there is a violent murder in that apartment and you say you went out to get cigarettes, the cops may not laugh. You know what I mean. Besides, why would anyone choose Cullen's flat for the murder? The story would unravel and he would get into trouble for the murder as well as the robbery.