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BOSTON THUGS

Today's film was Peter Yates'

The Friends of Eddy Coyle (1973)

A NYTimes 1176 Best Film. Shot entirely on location in Boston. Starring Robert Mitchum. Based on a story by Peter V. Higgins, a Boston writer who had a series of Boston locale gang stories. Often funny. This one is not. Or they took out the "funny" when they made the film.

Eddy, a drunk, is in the middle. A small time hood, he wants to make a deal with the Federal Prosecutor who wants him up for 2-5 years on a charge.

Eddy is squirming and trying to bargain his way out of the sentence by being a stool pigeon. In the meantime he is selling guns to some guys who are robbing banks.

His best friend and confidant, Peter Boyle in an early major role, is also a witness for the feds and also in the middle and so, he sells Eddy out.

The plot is not so much as the atmosphere, the talk, the acting. Mitchum is winding up his career and does not really mind being less than a hero and he stands tall in the role. He is still a hero but more an anti-hero. The face. The delivery. Robert Mitchum. They even let him do one fast scene with a wife beater on. His trademark in the film noir when he had the body to show in it.

Great film. Dave Grusin did the music.

I have seen it several times. A 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films