Review: The Friends Of Eddie Coyle

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
starring: Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco, Steven Keats
dir. Peter Yates


This is a film that has not yet to see the light of day on DVD and it's a real shame. I've seen it scheduled to play on AMC a few times, but I wanted to wait and see it uncut and on the big screen. I'm glad I did. This is a movie that is cold and ruthless and one of Robert Mitchum's best performances, hands down. The film feels completely original and is like nothing I've ever seen. Yes, it's a character piece, but it's really more of a lifestyle piece. A look into the world of small time hoods and all of the deceit and betrayal that goes along with it. It's a forefather to Donnie Brasco (1997) but without the formal plot line. There is no justice, no comeuppance, no good versus bad, there is only the lifestyle. Just so you're clear headed when you sit down to watch it, the title is irony in its purest form.

The basic gist is Eddie Coyle (Mitchum), was busted running booze and is getting ready to do a stint in jail. As the film progresses we become involved in Coyle's world and meet his "friends". They vary from the back stabbing bartender Dillon, a home run performance from Peter Boyle, to the the leader of a small time group of bank robbers played by Alex Rocco. Coyle is a middle man for getting guns for Rocco and is willing to turn on his source to get out of serving time. So Coyle is about as loyal as everyone else around him. This is not a world where there is honor among thieves. It's every man for himself and cops against all.

Mitchum as Coyle is broken and burnt out and just plain fed up with the whole lifestyle. He doesn't want to go to jail, he's got two teenage kids and a chubby Irish wife who loves him. It's a small life, but it's his to lose and he doesn't want it gone. Watching Mitchum trying to work the angles and find a way to freedom is exasperating. Every step he makes forward, we see others make moves to set him two steps back. By the time the end credits roll you almost feel a sense of relief that Eddie doesn't have to deal with this shit anymore.

Peter Boyle played an assortment of scumbags in the 70's and his portrayal of Dillon is another spot on performance. He double crosses and kills with a certain shrug of the shoulders. He's a guy who is nothing but ugly, but his surface veneer never betrays his inner workings. Boyle plays Dillon as a person, never winking at the audience to show he knows he's a bad guy. There is always something going on behind those eyes, and it's never good.

Growing up, I knew director Peter Yates as the guy who made Krull (1983) and The Deep (1977). Later I'd learn he made grittier fare like Bullitt (1968) and The Hot Rock (1972), but this is his masterpiece. Simple in execution, gritty and bare, but he never misses out on those small character moments that create a realistic world of small time hoods. This is a great piece of 70's cinema and just a great piece all around.

10 out of 10

(NOTE: there is a rumor that Criterion will be releasing a DVD this year. If so, yay!)