“Eddie Coyle is made for [Mitchum]: a weary middle-aged man, but tough and proud; a man who has been hurt too often in life not to respect pain; a man who will take chances to protect his own territory.”
The winner of of our first post-lockdown Chain vote, linked to from Umberto D by the theme of ‘mature’ protagonists.
In one of the best performances of his legendary career, Robert Mitchum plays world-weary, small-time gunrunner, Eddie ‘Fingers’ Coyle. Living hand to mouth, Coyle works the sidelines of the seedy Boston underworld. But when he finds himself facing a second stretch of hard time, he’s forced to weigh loyalty to his criminal colleagues against snitching to stay free.
Adapted from George V. Higgins’s acclaimed novel and directed by Peter Yates with a sharp eye for Boston’s gritty locales and an open heart for its less-than-heroic characters (including an unforgettable turn from the reliably great Peter Boyle as one of Eddie’s ‘Friends’), The Friends of Eddie Coyle is one of the true treasures of 1970s Hollywood filmmaking - a suspenseful crime drama in stark, unforgiving daylight.
Please note: as we ease back into things post-lockdown, seat reservations are mandatory.
Related links
Robert Mitchum: The Last Celluloid Desperado - Rolling Stone's 1973 interview with the actor on the set of Eddie Coyle.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle: They Were Expendable - Criterion essay by Kent Jones
