The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

After his last crime has him looking at a long prison sentence for repeat offenses, a low level Boston gangster decides to snitch on his friends to avoid jail time.

Director:

Peter Yates

Writers:

George V. Higgins (based on the novel by), Paul Monash (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Mitchum	...	Eddie 'Fingers' Coyle
Peter Boyle	...	Dillon
Richard Jordan	...	Dave Foley
Steven Keats	...	Jackie Brown
Alex Rocco	...	Jimmy Scalise
Joe Santos	...	Artie Van
Mitchell Ryan	...	Waters
Peter MacLean	...	Mr. Partridge
Kevin O'Morrison	...	Bank manager #2
Marvin Lichterman	...	Vernon
Carolyn Pickman	...	Nancy
James Tolkan	...	The Man's contact man
Margaret Ladd	...	Andrea
Matthew Cowles	...	Pete
Helena Carroll	...	Sheila Coyle

Storyline

Eddie's friends are numerous, but the term "friends" is suspect. As a small time hood, Eddie is about to go back to jail. In order to escape this fate, he deals information on stolen guns to the feds. Simultaneously he is supplying arms to his bank robbing/kidnapping hoodlum chums. But who else is dealing with the feds? Who gets the blame for snitching on the bank robbers?

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Plot Keywords:

bank robbery | ski mask | police informant | neo noir | irish american | 

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Taglines:

It's a grubby, violent, dangerous world. But it's the only world they know. And they're the only friends Eddie has.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is based on the George V. Higgins novel of the same name. Higgins also wrote Cogan's Trade, which the 2012 film Killing Them Softly is based on. The character 'Dillon' appears in both, played by Peter Boyle (The Friends of Eddie Coyle) and Sam Shepard (Killing Them Softly).

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Goofs

When Eddie meets Dave Foley in the park and says, "Hell, I'm 51 years old," his lips don't match that statement.

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Quotes

The Man's contact man: [asking Dillon to commit a hit] The man says tonight.
Dillon: Look, when I hit somebody, I do it right - not like some Goddamned kid who found his girl fuckin' someone else.
The Man's contact man: Now... he said tonight...
Dillon: [interrupting] ... he says - he says... Look, five grand in front.
The Man's contact man: Look, you get it when you do the job.
Dillon: Who would make a hit on the cuff? Look, that's not the way it happens, and the man knows that, and I'm beginnin' to wonder if he sent you.
The Man's contact man: Now, look...
Dillon: Noe, look nothin'... I treat a man with respect. I expect ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Charlton Heston/Johnny Yune/Jack Douglas/Blair Brown (1979)

User Reviews

Mitchum nailed it. His best performance

I'm 42 and I've lived in Boston my whole life. I travel extensively and pay attention to the way people talk. Everywhere. For those of you that are not from here: People from Boston do not talk like the Kennedys. Really. No one except the Kennedys talk like that. OK, William Devane and Martin Sheen do sometimes, but they don't know any better.

Here's the point: Mitchum nails it. He doesn't over-do it (Cliff Claven) and doesn't under do it. Critics claim that Mitchum is good at accents but he really does nail this one - the toughest one: A native Boston accent. That is indicative of the whole movie. Mitchum nails everything. This is his most believable performance. Listen to him in this movie and you could really imagine him as a resident of Quincy. It fits. The bleak, cold hopelessness of the title character's life is played out to its inevitable conclusion. A real classic "not-trying-to-be-film-noir" example of classic film noir.

Signed, The Director's Son (Just Kidding - this is awesome! Watch it!)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Filming Locations:

Boston Bowl - 820 William T. Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1