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IMDbPro

The Nickel Ride

  • 19741974
  • PGPG
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
608
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
37,123
8,033
The Nickel Ride (1974)
Trailer for The Nickel Ride
Play trailer2:34
1 Video
34 Photos
CrimeDrama
In Los Angeles, a criminal begins to think that his accomplices want to get rid of him.In Los Angeles, a criminal begins to think that his accomplices want to get rid of him.In Los Angeles, a criminal begins to think that his accomplices want to get rid of him.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
608
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
37,123
8,033
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Robert Mulligan
    • Writer
      • Eric Roth
    • Stars
      • Jason Miller
      • Linda Haynes
      • Victor French
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Mulligan
    • Writer
      • Eric Roth
    • Stars
      • Jason Miller
      • Linda Haynes
      • Victor French
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Nickel Ride
    Trailer 2:34
    The Nickel Ride

    Photos34

    Bo Hopkins in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Linda Haynes in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Linda Haynes in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Victor French in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)
    Bo Hopkins and Jason Miller in The Nickel Ride (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jason Miller
    Jason Miller
    • Cooper
    Linda Haynes
    Linda Haynes
    • Sarah
    Victor French
    Victor French
    • Paddie
    John Hillerman
    John Hillerman
    • Carl
    Bo Hopkins
    Bo Hopkins
    • Turner
    Richard Evans
    Richard Evans
    • Bobby
    Bart Burns
    Bart Burns
    • Elias
    Lou Frizzell
    Lou Frizzell
    • Paulie
    Mark Gordon
    • Tonozzi
    Harvey Gold
    Harvey Gold
    • Chester
    Lee de Broux
    Lee de Broux
    • Harry
    Nelson Leigh
    Nelson Leigh
      • Director
        • Robert Mulligan
      • Writer
        • Eric Roth
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Selected by Quentin Tarantino for the First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest in Austin, Texas, 1996.
      • Crazy credits
        The 20th Century Fox logo is shown in black and white.
      • Soundtracks
        The Nickel Ride Theme
        Written by Dave Grusin and Peggy Lee

      User reviews19

      Review
      Top review
      9/10
      vastly underrated neo-noir in 70s Los Angeles
      This is a really superb neo-noir and simultaneously realistic look at downtown Los Angeles in the beginning of the seventies. Jason Miller is perfectly cast as Cooper, the morose ex-carny-roustabout-turned-lower-echelon-crime figure. He functions as a semi-independent mob overseer of the storage and fencing of stolen merchandise for an eclectic variety of underworld thieves that cut across all racial divides. The crux of the story involves Cooper trying to close a deal on the purchase of a whole block of abandoned rail warehouses in the derelict 5th and Alameda area of downtown L.A. If he can't pull it off, it may mean the end of not only his career but his life. Director Robert Mulligan is an extremely uneven director having helmed decent pictures like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE SPIRAL ROAD, UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE and BABY, THE RAIN MUST FALL as well as sleepers like THE OTHER. But he's also had his share of clunkers like SUMMER OF '42. However, THE NICKEL RIDE is his masterpiece. Many of things that others seem to find fault with in the film is exactly what makes the picture so unpretentious and sublime. You really have to pay attention to the dialogue and interaction of characters to get the back story and relationships. Something that most viewers are either unable or unwilling to do. They want everything handed to them on a silver platter. The beauty of this film lies not only in the exceptional, low-key, non-showy performances from every single actor involved, but also the visceral evocation of the dying-on-the-vine area of downtown L.A. -- whole blocks of which have not changed much since the making of this film. Equally brilliant is the almost imperceptible building of suspense through the gradual ratcheting-up of understandable paranoia in Cooper's character. By the time of the climax the unseen aura of impending doom -- a feeling which is so borderline we're not sure if Cooper is right-on or is imagining the whole thing -- is really disturbing. There are a couple of violent shock sequences in the last third of the picture that really pack a wallop because of the orchestration of elements. As mentioned by someone else here at IMDb, THE NICKEL RIDE does take the same low-key genre approach as similar neo-noir FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE and HICKEY AND BOGGS -- and it stacks up very favorably alongside them, easily equaling their masterpiece status. Highly recommended. However, the movie was such a flop on initial release I doubt Fox will ever release it on DVD. But keep your eyes peeled because they do run it occasionally letterboxed on the Fox Movie cable channel.
      helpful•17
      3
      • chrisdfilm
      • Mar 28, 2005

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • January 15, 1975 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Kljucni covjek
      • Filming locations
        • San Julian Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
      • Production companies
        • David Foster Productions
        • Twentieth Century Fox
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 39 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 2.35 : 1

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