Eddie Coyle is an aging criminal who is facing another bit in the joint. He meets with a cop, Foley and is willing to trade information if Foley can bury Eddie’s up coming charge. At the same time Eddie is playing middle man and is supplying guns to a gang of bank robber friends of his. Coyle gives the cops some good info that leads to a bust but the Cops want more if Eddie wants to stay out of jail. He’s in a bad spot with not a lot of options. We stay with him to see how it will play out.
CB liked this movie a lot. It takes you into the no bullshit life of low level crime. It’s not rocket science. Peter Yates who directed Bullit takes his time in this one and doesn’t force it. He strips it down to the reality of this life. No flash and dash. I love this style of film making. He had a great story to work with. It’s based on the George V Higgens book. Victor J Kemper’s camera work catches and enhances the bleakness of the story. Dave Grusin sprinkles in some nice 70’s soundtrack. I loved the Boston locations. We even get to go to the Boston Garden and catch a Bruins game and “Greatest hockey player in the world, number 4 Bobby Orr”.
The underplayed performances are great. Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan and the rest of the of the supporting cast are perfect. No pretty boys in this one. But when CB is talking under played, Robert Mitchum is the actor at the top of the list. His Eddie Coyle is as truthful a performance as you can get. CB was actually pulling for him. That’s how much I connected with the character. He’s a real guy. In one particular scene where he and his wife are in the kitchen, Eddie gets a little frisky. Great stuff. No Hollywood romance bullshit here. Mitchum gets the CB award for one of the best ever.
If you are looking for a fast paced, action film grab something else. If you are looking for a real gritty non sentimental film, grab this. It’s slow and it grows on you long after it’s over. You actually think there was a real Eddie Coyle. There probably was.
Great flick!
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Occasionally some Boston journalist or film critic will mention this movie but I confess I’ve never seen it. I’ll look for it.
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It might be a hard one to find. I loved the way they filmed these cities back in the 70’s. Bunch of good ones from back then..
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Never seen this one. Never even heard of it, but don’t know why, as it definitely appeals to me. I’ll add to the list…
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Morning, CB.
Mitchum sure was in some good ones. One of my favorites is Out Of The Past. I just looked him up on IMDB. He made a zillion movies.
Have a good day —
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Mitchum had his own style. He was method before there was method. He just was. ‘Out of the Past’ is brought out around here periodically. I love this film.
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If the billing includes Robert Mitchum I’m at the head of the queue! Superb performances. Thanks for reminding me of this one.
Regards Thom
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Time for a ‘Cape Fear’ re watch.
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Now there’s one scary movie. They had a Mitchum retrospective at a local repertory theater in Cambridge last year and I just could not get over there.
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I know you love the back stories on things. Supposedly Mitchum had a photogenic memory, He’d look at his lines once and that was it. You know he showed up in the Scorsese remake? Daddy Cool.
(Getting to the book this weekend. Falda has me all set up ready to go)
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Oh yes. Mitchum infinitely more threatening than De Niro in the remake.
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I can’t believe that anybody can remember any lines for anything. I watch Sam Waterston on Law and Order (love that show) and he spiels off all these monologues like it’s nothing. There is a local theater company here and they were auditioning for some play. For fun, I went over and looked at the script. I’ve never acted. I took one look at the character’s multi-page dialog and split. Unless I get to kiss the leading lady, fuck that.
As to the book, good luck. Don’t expect Dickens.
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I go for the Charles Bronson school. Get the script and start crossing out lines. Or the Brando, just don’t learn them and stick lines on other actors foreheads or make up the words. Funny story on the “theater company audition”.
I need a break from old Charles as much as I like him. A little Philly visit will be good.
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My one and only “acting job” was a fourth-grade musical called “By the Sea.” We did it for the school and then for a bunch of decrepit old nuns in some convent. At the school, we had to come out on stage and align ourselves with windows in back of the auditorium. At the last minute they switched some girl (my partner) with some other girl. My new partner aligned herself with HER window which was way across on the other side of the room. As a consequence, we all wound up scrunched on one side of the stage. Guess who got the blame? That’s right. Eight-year-old me, not the idiots who stuck us in that situation. Scarred, I never went into acting. Too bad. I’m ready for my close up.
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I’m sitting here laughing my ass off. That is funny. I’ll be chuckling at that all day. You look like a guy that would be singled out to catch shit. I seen a friend of mine in one of those amateur productions just about kill a kid with a so called rubber billy club.
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Yeah, maybe I have that “let’s throw some shit at this guy” look. Or maybe it was just the weasel administrators at school. No I never really caught the acting bug. Sometimes I’ll wander around practicing Shakespeare – “To be or not to be. How is that even a question?” Anyway, I leave all that emoting to others. My self-expression is the gee-tar.
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Oh yeah, Falda charged me a handling fee, it was more than the price to get the book. She’s slick. You’d be a natural in front of the camera but playing the ax is a very cool thing. CB is envious.
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My money’s on Falda. She’s going places.
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Looks pretty good. I’ll keep an eye out for it.
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It’s a good one Tref. I thoughts so anyway.
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