I had to watch the new Criterion DVD release of "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" a couple of times before I could stop comparing it to the novel I've been re-reading for thirty-seven years, and see it clearly. Verdict: excellent, bringing to life the relentless deceptions of everyday life in a criminal context where every 'friend' takes care of himself first, and where there's truly no honour among thieves. The '70s landscape is perfectly filmed, and if the low-key tempo bothers some viewers it may be because their viewing metabolism has been artificially juiced by the quick cuts and big bangs of contemporary action pictures. The methodical unfolding of the bank robberies, the gun-running, and the negotiations with a federal agent to keep out of jail, take place in what feels like real time. When violent action occurs it jars even more because it ends in an instant, with unsuspecting citizens walking or driving past who have no idea that something's been stolen, someone's arrested, someone's dead.
Robert Mitchum's effortlessly modulated performance is a gift to the other actors; his generosity in underplaying Eddie Coyle's dim desperation enhances the power of the characters created by Peter Boyle, Steven Keats, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco and Joe Santos, and gives the film a rare balance of distinctly different personalities.
One small protest: the novel's been compressed, and the nature of the final betrayal altered. I think the book's plot point works better, and shouldn't have been cut to save five minutes' running time. That's a reader's complaint, though. The film brings to life, unforgettably, the shoddy world of cops and robbers, in one time and place. It's a period masterpiece - thank goodness it's come to life again.
Robert Mitchum's effortlessly modulated performance is a gift to the other actors; his generosity in underplaying Eddie Coyle's dim desperation enhances the power of the characters created by Peter Boyle, Steven Keats, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco and Joe Santos, and gives the film a rare balance of distinctly different personalities.
One small protest: the novel's been compressed, and the nature of the final betrayal altered. I think the book's plot point works better, and shouldn't have been cut to save five minutes' running time. That's a reader's complaint, though. The film brings to life, unforgettably, the shoddy world of cops and robbers, in one time and place. It's a period masterpiece - thank goodness it's come to life again.