Weekend Buff

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

In this installment of Weekend Buff, we are heading back to the 1970’s for a film that was a bit of a flop at the box office, but is a great film, nonetheless.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) is not a movie that most people have seen - it has been largely forgotten, but it is a fantastic portrayal of the Boston organized crime scene and a vivid narrative about the dirty world of police informants.

Eddie Coyle is one of those informants. A small-time hard drinking gun runner, Coyle is past his prime. Ironically, his friends are all gone, busted or dead – he has no one to rely on. And he has a problem. He got busted in New Hampshire a few years ago on a deal set up by Dillon, a local barman and low-level gangster. Found guilty, his sentencing date is coming up, and he is looking at some serious federal time. His family is struggling and will have to go on welfare – the Boston Irish mob is not going to take care of them.

He is looking for a way out, and acting as an informant for the ATF seems like his best bet. He meets with ATF agent, Dave Foley, and tries to give up information in exchange for a more lenient sentence. It is clear from the beginning that Foley is more worried about Foley, and isn’t going to be much help, but Coyle is desperate.

He manages to set up a gun purchase and gather enough information to dime out another gun runner to Agent Foley. But Foley wants more before he will “help” Coyle. Coyle has one big bit of information. He knows about people in his own organization who are robbing banks in a deadly and well-organized pattern. Will he give them up too? Is he that desperate?

The Friends of Eddie Coyle has a solid cast. Robert Mitchum, who is one of my favorite actors, plays the down on his luck Eddie Coyle. He is perfect for the role. Mitchum captures the sad, hopeless Coyle in both appearance and affect. Richard Jordan is ATF Agent Dave Foley. I think Jordan really captured the interaction between handler and confidential informant. It’s an acting role at the end of the day, with both parties telling their own lies. It’s a relationship built on mutual mistrust. Director Peter Yates (Bullitt, Breaking Away), Mitchum, and Jordan really hit the nail right on the head in this regard.

Peter Boyle plays Dillon, the seemingly innocuous barman who is more than meets the eye. The supporting cast is not remarkable, but Alex Rocco, who played Moe Greene in the Godfather, is in the movie.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a sad movie. The title is ironic. Eddie Coyle has no friends. He has no future. He has no hope.

Mitchum’s Coyle reminded me of Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. The characters have a similar down and out, too old and worn out, vibe. The stories mirror each other in many ways despite the different settings. Both characters think that they will be rewarded for their loyalty…. And both are wrong.

The film is loosely based on Boston’s Winter Hill Gang. The characters in many ways mirror the lives of Winter Hill members Whitey Bulger and Billy O’Brien. Mitchum allegedly wanted to meet the infamous Bulger as a character study before filming began but was talked out of any interaction with the mercurial gangster.

Boston is the backdrop for the movie. It’s old Boston, before the real estate boom, where neighborhoods now gone to modernization are seen in their past iteration. Some cool old Boston spots and old cars set the stage.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle runs a bit longer than the usual hour and a half. It is a drama, and can be slow at times, but the characters are the key here. The movie captures them well, and the few action scenes give the movie some pep. You can rent The Friends of Eddie Coyle on Amazon Prime or YouTube for $5. While not a big hit at the box office, this film is moving and well-acted. It is worth a watch. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading The Ops Desk. Stay Safe!