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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Freunde von 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

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast did rehearsals for two weeks prior to the shooting of this movie.

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Goofs

When the robbers are at the beach parking lot heading out to the house of the bank manager for the last bank robbery before they are caught by Foley at the house, they exit the parking lot and take a right, which would bring them further into South Boston. The house they were caught at is in either Milton or Randolph so they should have turned left out of the lot which would have brought them past the state police barracks and onto the Southeast Expressway to head south to Milton or Randolph. The direction they went would bring them further away from their destination.

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Quotes

Jackie Brown: This life's HARD man, but it's HARDER if you're stupid!

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Connections

Featured in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series: Boxman (2014)

User Reviews

See The Friends of Eddie Coyle

What a great movie! One of the most realistic stories of the small-time criminal. Robert Mitchuim gives an outstanding performance as Eddie Coyle, a small-time Irish gangster who works both sides of the fence. Richard Jordan in a fine supporting role as a hard-nosed detective out to burst a gang of well-trained bank robbers. Alex Rocco as a no-nonsense bank robber, and Peter Boyle as the stoolie/hit-man.

The movie however is stolen by the late Steven Keats. Keats plays a gun runner who sells machine guns out of the trunk of his sport's car. The friends of Eddie Coyle is extremely well-acted, grittly filmed, and low-key. It has a brutally shocking and surprising ending. An outstanding movie which for some strange reason hasn't found it's way to DVD or video.