The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Robert Mitchum depresses me. His weary eyes, drawling pronunciation and lumbering frame excrete the impression of a man defeated by life. As Eddie Coyle he is well cast, a guy who has taken his share of beatings. A career in Boston's rugged criminal world led to a stretch in the lockup after Eddie decided not to rat. Another potential lockup has him all nervous and he's looking at ways to avoid it. Seedy characters, masquerading as one another's comrade, squirm to get ahead with double crosses and avoid incarceration by acting as informants. It's tough making a living with friends like these.

Released the same year as Scorsese's masterpiece Mean Streets (1973), it lacks the dynamic film making which would see it used as a blue print for many crime flicks to follow. It's not hard to imagine this with some snappy editing and Mick Jagger wailing in the background as Coyle menaces his gun supplier into delivering his merchandise promptly. The dead ends of a criminal life are presented plainly without the cool, it makes it feel quite dated actually but works to it's advantage. Peter Boyle makes good on his role as Coyle's bar tending buddy, as he pulls beers in one of the more depressing dives I've seen. 

Apparently Ben Affleck is a fan of Eddie Coyle and used it as inspiration for his film The Town (2010), which I did like mostly. Let's all hope he leaves this alone though and doesn't remake the shit out of it. Some vintages are best left undisturbed.

3.5/5