Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1978: Christopher Plummer in The Silent Partner

Christopher Plummer did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Harry Reikle in The Silent Partner.

Christopher Plummer, whose film career has been a little random in terms of jumping into the size, scope and quality of parts, perhaps alluding to why stage other stage preferring actors like Paul Scofield and Mark Rylance tended to be a bit more selective. Plummer though in this thriller gets a more than decent sized role, and a chance to show a very different side of himself, from his then most famous film role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. This as the villain of this thriller, the bank robber, whom bank teller Miles (Elliott Gould) figures out a way to steal from, so in the robbery Miles takes the majority of cash his Reikle would've taken. Technically speaking Miles is the smarter of the two players in this game, but Reikle has an advantage. That being he's a psychopath. Although Plummer is memorable enough as a mall Santa Claus with a far to incisive stare for father Christmas, his greater impression comes when he goes about targeting Miles to get the rest of his theoretical money. This beginning with a phone call and a quiet threat from Reikle, while Miles is trying to romance a co-worker. Plummer's usually quite dignified voice is used here to great effect in being extremely menacing as Reikle notes that Miles is trying to do the woman he is with, what he did to Reikle. Plummer making an immediate sense of a particularly unnerving perversity within that menace. This continues in Plummer's work as Reikle essentially congratulates Miles on his cleverness, which his technically admiring words are delivered in a playful though in turn altogether creepy fashion. Plummer though reinforces always Reikle more direct intention in his eyes that always suggest that real killer's intention for Miles, this being particularly remarkable when he peers through Miles's mailbox with a horrifying gaze.

Plummer effectively sets a stake in place, as Miles finds a way to have Reikle imprisoned, temporarily. The threat though is never gone due to the impact that Plummer makes in those early scenes that show Reikle as someone not to be taken lightly. While in prison though he sends a woman, Elaine, to spy on Miles, though this backfires when she genuinely falls for him. Plummer has a fantastic moment where Elaine falsely reports to Reikle. This as Plummer finds a way to deliver this completely fake charm in his smile towards Elaine, as though he enjoys her in anyway, which he brilliantly subverts in the same moment he loses that falls display as his expression bears a sadistic glint in a matter of a moment. Plummer creating a terrific sense of unpredictability in his own performance, that creates a logic though of Reikle being just a killer at heart, though able to put on some minor airs, if barely, when needed. This as Plummer being an effortless and properly chilling creep. This when Reikle suddenly appears to Elaine, having gotten out of prison early, and makes an instantly tense situation in just the mere way he says "hey" with a vile sleaze. Plummer portraying Reikle as not even putting up any front as a particularly horrible prospect. When Reikle unleashes his real psychosis at Elaine, Plummer doesn't hold back in bringing the extreme sadistic nature of the man, showing both a sense of rage, but also worse this certain pleasure in it all. After this though Miles come to apparently cut a bargain with Reikle to give him the cash through another robbery. Plummer is great once again though by showing that with Miles Reikle still doesn't mind playing games. This delivering this artful flow as when Miles pushes back Plummer pushes the intensity up, but when Miles seems to give in at all, that faux affability comes back to Plummer's voice, as Reikle still wishes to play with his prey. In this penultimate confrontation though there small moment, but I think quite worth mentioning where Reikle questions Elaine's motives, which Miles affirms were devoted to him not Reikle. Plummer's reaction to this though helps to kind of show the effort of this work. This as he takes the time, in this reaction, to convey not exactly humanity, but a sense of real frustration in Reikle, subtle frustration, as he conveys how honestly takes in that information that Elaine wasn't so devoted to him after all. Not as a good person mind you, but still as a person. Of course, Plummer does indeed deliver on the main intention of this role which is to be an intimidating and reprehensible villain. This making his final scene particularly cathartic, amplified by how Plummer plays it. This beginning with a face brimming with smug sat as it appears his plan is going perfectly, until Miles pulls a trick, and Plummer's "aw crap" face is equally satisfying, for us. Plummer making for a proper adversary for our hero in Gould, and the proper force of evil any decent Hitchockian style thriller should have.