The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

starring Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan

directed by Peter Yates

102 minutes

Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) is an aging crook who has been convicted and is about to get sentenced for driving a truck full of stolen booze. He's can't afford to go to prison. He's got a wife and three kids. He's trying to play both ends off against the middle. On the one hand he is still doing shady things on the side, things that could get him more prison time than he already has coming to him. On the other he is trying to get a federal agent (Richard Jordan) to help him get his conviction thrown out.

Thoughts

I read the book that this movie is based upon, maybe 10 years ago. I was confused by it. I wasn't sure where it was all going, what it was all about. The movie is similar to what I remember about the book but I really like how it is put together. I think my low expectations helped my viewing experience.

I'm not crazy about the title of this movie. I don't really get it. Eddie may think he has friends but they are more like acquaintances at best. Maybe it is supposed to be ironic.

There are heists in this movie but this is not a heist film. They are more like the scenery or the soundtrack. They set the mood but they are not the main course.

The trailer, which I didn't watch until after I saw the movie, makes this movie look like it is filled with action. I can understand why but it is misleading.

This is a slowly paced film. It kept my interest. I was with it from beginning to end and was not bored. Eddie Coyle is the main character and there is some action in this movie but not much. Mitchum's role is mostly passive and conveyed through his words and his mannerisms. He is really good as Eddie Coyle. The action happens around him but not is his presence. This movie probably won't satisfy everyone but it did it for me.

Notes

I think that this is the first time I have seen Robert Mitchum in a film from this era. All the other films I have seen him in were made in the 1940s and 1950s.

I have seen Peter Boyle in a number of other films, but this is the first movie I have seen him in recently, possibly more than 20 years. The first movies that he was in that come to mind are Young Frankenstein (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), and The Dream Team (1989), but there are others.

I have seen Richard Jordan in more films that I realized. The movie I associate him with the most is The Secret of My Success (1987) but he has been in a number of other films I have seen.

01/06/24