The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Play trailer

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

R

Released Jun 26, 1973

1h 40m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Aging Boston gunrunner Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) is looking at several years of jail time for a hold-up if he doesn't funnel information to Dave Foley (Richard Jordan), an ATF agent. Eddie buys some guns from another gunrunner, Jackie Brown (Steven Keats), then gives him up to Foley, but the agent isn't satisfied. Conflicted, Eddie decides to also give up the gang of bank robbers he's been supplying, only to find that Foley already knows about them, and the mob believes Eddie snitched.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

The Friends of Eddie Coyle sees Robert Mitchum in transformative late-career mode in a gritty and credible character study.

Read Critics Reviews

Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Mitchum just is. The one-time hero of 1940s film noirs knows he’s working with shades of gray here and that there are no heroes and not really any tough guys, only the successful and the dead.

Rated: 4/4

May 24, 2022

Full Review

G.J. Fleming

Orlando Sentinel

Thanks to Mitchum's finest job of acting in a long while, a strong story and polished direction, "Eddie Coyle" is a surprisingly interesting character study.

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

Elston Brooks

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Yates has fashioned one of the year's tautest dramas without having to rely on gimmicks like the premier high-speed auto chase that trademarked his earlier "Bullitt."

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

Paine Knickerbocker

San Francisco Examiner

Under Peter Yates' direction, Robert Mitchum -- who in talented hands has always been one of the screen's top actors -- and Peter Boyle are touching, chilling, and excellent.

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

John Huddy

Miami Herald

A beautifully constructed, finely acted drama that is starkly realistic at all turns.

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

Nigel Watson

Starburst

For a gritty crime thriller without any gloss, this is it.

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Paul S

Worth watching if only for the 70's rundown urban Massachusetts motif. This is a blue collar mob flick. No romanticized wiseguy antics. Just good acting and storytelling.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

Full Review

Aldo G

The walls of the law are caving in on Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum), so he chooses to betray his friends. The cast delivers credible performances, and location shooting throughout Boston furthers the credibility. It almost feels like a documentary. Kudos to director Peter Yates.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

Taylor P

Good story but couldn't keep me interested enough to finish

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

CodyZamboni

Movie is surprisingly gritty, realistic, and dialogue heavy, ala pre- Tarantino. Anchored by a great, low key peformance by Robert Mitchum

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

Full Review

Red T

A Hidden All Time Classic Gem. The music is catchy and memorable. The editing is really good although it can be a bit jumpy and complex bordering on a Noir type complicated but it makes sense eventually. The pacing is excellent with and so is the cinematography with Boston being a very memorable location and great camerawork for all on location shots. The bank robberies are super intense as well. The thing that makes this standout though this the phenomenal acting, if it wasn't as good as it is this wouldn't be as riveting. Mitchum is the standout though hands down and excellent jobs by the supporting cast as well. This is something everyone should see once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/23

Full Review

Allen A

Authentic old school gangster movie. A fantastic cast of characters that made this movie so enjoyable.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Peter Yates

Director

Robert Mitchum

Eddie "Fingers" Coyle

Peter Boyle

Dillon

Richard Jordan

Dave Foley

Steven Keats

Jackie Brown

Alex Rocco

Jimmy Scalise

Superfly

93%

70%

Superfly

Watchlist

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

77%

85%

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Watchlist

The Long Goodbye

95%

87%

The Long Goodbye

Watchlist

Trouble Man

14%

65%

Trouble Man

Watchlist

Foxy Brown

59%

66%

Foxy Brown

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Aging Boston gunrunner Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) is looking at several years of jail time for a hold-up if he doesn't funnel information to Dave Foley (Richard Jordan), an ATF agent. Eddie buys some guns from another gunrunner, Jackie Brown (Steven Keats), then gives him up to Foley, but the agent isn't satisfied. Conflicted, Eddie decides to also give up the gang of bank robbers he's been supplying, only to find that Foley already knows about them, and the mob believes Eddie snitched.

Director: Peter Yates
Producer: Paul Monash
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 1973, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Runtime: 1h 40m

Most Popular at Home Now