Silver Bears (1978)
Directed by Ivan Passer

Film Synopsis

Doc Fletcher is a financial wizard with big ambitions.  Determined to make his fortune with as little effort as possible, he teams up with an American gangster, Joe Fiore, and sets about acquiring a Swiss bank through which they can launder all of their illicit profits.  Prince Gianfranco di Siracusa, an Italian nobleman who has fallen on hard times, is recruited as the bank's chairmen to give it a vestige of credibility - something it badly needs when Doc discovers it is sited in a few decrepit offices above a fast-food restaurant.  The Prince redeems himself by revealing that two cousins of his - Shireen and Agha Firdausi - are looking for someone to invest in a recently discovered mine in Iran which is thought to be rich in silver.

Once Doc has stumped up the necessary funds, the mine is soon in operation, resulting in a sudden massive glut on the silver market.  As the price of silver plummets, Charlie Cook, a prominent dealer in precious metals, is forced to act.  He intends taking over Doc's bank in order to force the Iranian mine's closure.  With a buyer lined up, and Joe Fiore apparently willing to sell up, Doc has to act fast if all of his hard work is not to be undone.  Unfortunately, the Firdausis are unable to give him the money he needs to prevent the takeover, as it turns out that the silver mine doesn't even exist...