Holidays as Backdrop: The Silent Partner (1978, Daryl Duke)

The Daryl Duke directed and Curtis Hanson scripted The Silent Partner is one of my favorite "new to me" films I discovered this year. Shot in Canada and featuring a superb world weary performance by Elliot Guild and a great evil turn by Christopher Plummer, the film finely balances suspense, humor, romance, and plight of the middle class worker drone insight, not to mention a severed head scene that would make Tom Savini proud. And much of the first half is set during the holiday season, making it bound to become one of my Christmas perennials. Of course my Christmas favorites have the horror film Black Christmas, also a Canadian film, at the top for what it's worth. And like another Canadian film that was featured on a "Holiday as Backdrop" entry, it combines a mall Santa and firearms. Oh those Canucks!