Some of the hardcore, violent Christmas films isn’t a horror flick with Christopher Plummer, the scariest Santa of all time, in The Silent Associate.
I grew up in Canada, and I’d wager the expertise – at the least so far as popular culture goes – was in all probability fairly much like rising up within the States. But, there have been some minor, unusual variations. Right here, we’ve a regulatory physique known as the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Fee), which ensures that about 30% of the content material that’s broadcast on TV qualifies as “Canadian Content.” Thus, everytime you activate the TV, one among our Canadian channels is certain to point out one thing Canadian, together with films. Whereas vacation classics like A Christmas Story and Black Christmas counted as Canadian Content material (God Bless Bob Clark) we may reliably see across the holidays, extra adventurous TV stations would present one thing exterior the field. One such station was the adult-oriented Showcase (to not be confused with Showtime), which might program an totally psychological film known as The Silent Associate each Christmas Eve.
When you’re not Canadian, you in all probability do not know what this film is. It’s a part of a style affectionally generally known as Canuxploitation, the place US firms would reap the benefits of our authorities tax shelters and shoot style films right here. American actors, amid profession droughts, would normally break up their time between Canada and Italy to shoot these sorts of movies. The Silent Associate was a extra subtle piece of Canuxploitation, with a screenplay by the late Curtis Hanson, director of L.A. Confidential.
In it, Elliot Gould performs a financial institution teller working in Toronto’s Eaton Middle over the vacations. At some point, he’s robbed by a division retailer Santa Claus, and within the chaos, he manages to skim $50,000 for himself, whereas Santa will get a lump of coal. It’s too unhealthy for him, although, that Santa is a raving psychopath named Arthur Reikle, performed by a ripped and loopy Christopher Plummer. He sends a gorgeous lady (performed by Montreal starlet Celine Lomez) to seduce him, just for her to ultimately change sides, resulting in a surprisingly violent third act that takes The Silent Associate into horror territory (nothing says Christmas like a head in a fish tank).
It’s a loopy little film that’s exceptionally well-acted by Gould and Plummer. The movie at all times resonated with me as, for a short while, I labored as a financial institution teller over the vacations and located it a depressing expertise. Seeing all that money move fingers was…tempting. I at all times appreciated Gould’s efficiency, which is attempting to do one thing slightly totally different (dare I say it – Canadian) with him, firming down his traditional neurosis and taking part in the function in a relaxed, indifferent method that works. On the time, Gould’s profession was on the downslide (though he had a success proper after this got here out with Capricorn One), however he was nonetheless delievring attention-grabbing performances.
Nevertheless, Christopher Plummer is a revelation as one of many evilest villains in display screen historical past. His Reikle is a misogynist sociopath with a passion for masochism. Regardless of being in his fifties on the time, Plummer obtained into superb bodily form for the half, and his function right here will blow away those that largely know him from The Sound of Music or his late-era roles.
It’s an odd movie to play through the holidays, however should you like a darkish Christmas film, that is for you. Curiously, regardless of being a cultured thriller, it’s way more violent and gory than Christmas slashers like Black Christmas and Silent Evening, Lethal Evening. Poor Celine Lomez suffers a horrible destiny, whereas it’s all tied collectively by a complicated piano rating by famed Canadian pianist Oscar Petersen. Doubling down on its Canadian bonafides, John Sweet has a small function as one among Gould’s fellow staff, with the 2 sharing a joint at one level in a nod to Gould’s counter-culture fame from earlier within the decade.
Paradoxically, if you wish to see The Silent Associate in Canada, the place it was produced – you’re out of luck. It’s not streaming wherever in Canada regardless of being a little bit of a homegrown traditional. Against this, yow will discover it simply within the US, with it streaming at no cost on Kanopy. So, you Yanks could need to give this one a attempt. It’s an insane little film. As for Canadians, there’s a Blu-ray of the movie on the market that got here out not too way back, so enable me to maintain beating the bodily media drum…
