CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Bogdan "This life's HARD man, but it's HARDER if you're stupid!"The atmosphere simply cuts your breath away. The dialogue is clever and, at times, ironic. Robert Mitchum plays the role of a gangster, who wants to retire from that life full of danger, impeccable. Richard Jordan and Peter Boyle also delight us with their solid performances. Simply put, The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a realistic movie, a film that portrays the ruthless life of gangsters, a film without mistake.

christopher-underwood What this is not, is a super slick, fast moving, sexy and violent cops and robbers movie - there's not even a car chase and this from the man that made Bullitt. What this is, is a very low key, believable look at downtown crime in 70s US and a faded Robert Mitchum struggling to survive in his later years and avoid a spell inside. And of course to do this he has to call in some of his 'friends' and do a little more crime. He struggles a bit in the part but this might be Yates lack of direction which will also become evident in The Deep. Within the environment of a dirty Boston and even dirtier pals this is all fine. Steven Keats in his first film is fantastic as the ultra laid back gun runner, Jackie Brown and the ever reliable Peter Boyle has a central role of the barman who notices things and is not afraid to pass on information, a year before Young Frankenstein. The way Boyle moves around in the makes you think he's already practising for that role. No sex and violence or splashy effects then but simply a good wild crime movie told from an unusual angle, the bottom.

sharky_55 The Friends of Eddie Coyle is not concerned with silly little gangster fantasies that we are used to seeing on the big screen. When armed criminals rob a bank, it takes just one mistake or wrong move for a trigger to be pulled and for an innocent life to die. Yates knows this, so he does not push any overblown theatrics that might convince the audience that one of the inhabitants will spring from their spot and be the hero - a closeup of indignant eyes, or a twitch of the hands. The robberies are executed with a silent, calculated efficiency that illustrates their experience. The civilians play their own roles with the same obedience, because they also know all these facts. An innocent person of stature is used as a spokesperson for the criminals in order to emphasise the status quo; nothing can be done to prevent the bank from being robed, but no one needs to get hurt. The film is a lean, lean crime story, stripped of even the slightest bit of glamour and glitz that a big city gangster flick would have. If there was a completely unsentimental film this would be it - the action does not serve to thrill the audience, but to underline the desperation and awareness that these characters have hoarded over a career of crime. Boston is shot in all its grey, shabby allure for the lowlife criminals, capturing the utterly unspectacular locations that they frequent: lonely bars, dull diners, crummy parking lots. The women are not blonde bombshells that men would go to the ends of the earth for; when Eddie kisses his plain, frumpy wife in the morning, it is sweet and endearing, and reminds us that many of these lowly crooks have similar loves to come home to. You could pluck any of them out of a crowd. We see this in the final shot as the two melt into the crowd, men who have come together briefly for each other's benefit but would not give up even a dime for each other. The eponymous Eddie is played by the great Robert Mitchum, who brings not only his steely persona but a heap of baggage that further draws subtleties out of his character. Never has he been asked to play such a desperate and resigned man. We expect an actor of Mitchum's stature and repute to play a made man, a powerful man, a man who controls others and who can snap his fingers and have guns fired and men killed, instead of smuggling them. In another film he would be the mob boss, and Mitchum's performance has streaks of this. Eddie is in no position to ever bargain as he buys guns, but he does so anyway, conveying a thinly veiled threat as he tells of a story of those who get what is coming to them, using his classic deep, throaty voice to command our attention and confirm its authenticity. And when he chastises the business practices of his seller, he condescends from a position of years of learned experience and know-how in the trade, and practically growls: "You ever sell guns before?" You can almost hear the implied "boy" at the end of the sentence. But Mitchum also has the ability, with that greatly expressive face of his, to put on the appearance of a honest, loving, family man. Briefly, in small pockets, we see his facade melting, and underneath is a spiritually and emotionally exhausted man who is barely struggling to keep his life in order. All the masculinity and bravado of his trade prevents him from showing too much, so he must be wary. One of his small slip-ups occurs when he makes a house-visit to deliver some guns, and marvels at the modest quality of living that to him, seems like a palace. What a tragic existence he leads. Eddie Coyle has no friends, and even a simple day at the ice rink is laced with underhanded motives and selfish intentions. In this penultimate scene, his great monologue slips back years and envisions a time where his life was still undecided and his actions had not yet been made for him. We understand that this is the weary sign of a man who choose the crooked path a long, long time ago, and has always known when it was going to catch up to him.

LeonLouisRicci From the Ironic Title to the Ironic Ending this Peter Yates Neo-Noir is an ultimate Character Study of Boston's Criminal Element in the Early to Mid Seventies. Robert Mitchum Plays Eddie, a Busted-Knuckle Grunt for the Mob that is a Stand-Up Guy. A whole lot of Good that has done and will do the Aging Criminal. He is looking at a Stretch and is Desperate to get Free.Of Course, in the Cinema World and the Real World for that matter, the Odds are Stacked against Him. That is the Film's Concern and through the use of Gritty, Realistic Dialog, and Unfettered, Chilling Locations both Interior and Exterior, it Weaves its Downbeat Tale with Good Characters and Character Actors.Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, and Steven Keats are there for Mitchum to interact as the Story Spirals to its Inevitable Conclusion. In Minimalist Fashion and "Fly on the Wall" Realism, the Writer and Director make No Apologies for the Abandonment of Hollywood Gloss and Action.The Energy is in the Tension, the Nervous Waiting and over Thinking of every Detail, to Avoid certain Arrest or Death. Considered one of Robert Mitchum's Best Late Career Roles, He Masterfully Underplays with a Smoldering Sense of Angst and Acute Awareness that the Walls of His Chosen Life are Closing In.A Must-See for Mitchum and Neo-Noir Fans and Lovers of No-Frills Street Life Crime Thrillers.