The Friends of Eddie Coyle

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

1973 1h 42m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 221

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An aging hood is about to go back to prison. Hoping to escape his fate, he supplies information on stolen guns to the feds, while simultaneously supplying arms to his bank robbing chums.

“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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Cast

Robert Mitchum
Eddie 'Fingers' Coyle
Peter Boyle
Dillon
Richard Jordan
Dave Foley
Steven Keats
Jackie Brown
Alex Rocco
Jimmy Scalise
Joe Santos
Artie 'Van' Valentropo
Mitchell Ryan
Waters
Peter MacLean
Mr. Partridge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Yates
Writers: Paul Monash
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Yates, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pat Jaffe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It’s a grubby, violent, dangerous world. But it’s the only world they know. And they’re the only friends Eddie has.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0070077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Yates directs. Victor J. Kemper behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Pat Jaffe cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

153 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Peter Yates, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Pat Jaffe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "It’s a grubby, violent, dangerous world. But it’s the only world they know. And they’re the only friends Eddie has.".
7IMDB entry: tt0070077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper
Original score: Dave Grusin
Editing: Pat Jaffe
Production design: Gene Callahan
Costume design: Eric Seelig
Makeup / hair: Irving Buchman
Sound: Dick Vorisek
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

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Peter Yates

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-02-25
★ 9/10
Everybody oughta listen to his mother. Boston criminal Eddie 'Fingers' Coyle (Robert Mitchum) is in the mire, the cops have him bang to rights and he's facing a long stretch in the big house. However, if he turns informant he will keep out of poky... For far too long this film had been stuck hidden away in pirate hell, thankfully it finally saw the light of day and can be seen for all its glory. Peter Yates directs and Paul Monash adapts the screenplay from the George V. Higgins novel. Supporting Mitchum are Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats and Alex Rocco. Music is by Dave Grusin and cinematography by Victor J. Kemper. It's a film noir lovers picture, a throw back to the halcyon days of the first wave of noir back in the 1940s. So who better than a battered pug faced Mitchum to front up the story? Pic is perpetually downbeat, with the air of despondency hanging over our protagonist like the grim reaper. The underworld painted by Yates and his team is smartly stripped down to basics, it's a world that is after all, always moving in secretive circles. There's no frilly glamour here, there's crime and consequences, realistic street operations, and brilliantly there's believable characterisations. With dialogue dominating the narrative, it's not one for the action junkie - though the set-pieces are superbly staged by Yates, this is a neo-noir of high respect to previous blood lines. And it boasts a quite brilliant turn from Mitchum whilst not copping out at the finale. Noir heads rejoice! 9/10

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