Picador just came out with a 40th anniversary edition (1970) of George V. Higgins’ classic crime novel, The Friends of Eddie Coyle. It is an extremely entertaining novel as it depicts the petty criminals, gangsters, and cops who pursue them in the Boston area. The strength of the novel lies in the great dialogue that captures the Boston accent, rhythm, and cadence of this working class stiffs. It is evident that Quentin Tarantino was fan of the book (and or film) as one of Eddie’s friends, a gun seller, is named Jackie Brown. It is a compelling thriller as well-the crux is the intersection of Eddie who is trying to beat a prison rap and some of his friends who are on a bank heist spree. It feels very cinematic, so it was no surprise that it was later made into a film in 1973.
Last year Criterion released a version of the film, released in 1973, directed by Peter Yates starring Robert Mitchum in one of his finest roles. The film was filmed on location in Boston with a top-notch supporting cast including Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco, and Steven Keats as Jackie Brown. It’s not surprising that almost all of the dialogue from the novel makes it into the film. The soundtrack captures the music of the day and the cars and clothes are all vintage 70s and gives the film that gritty 70s feel to it like the great new York films of the 70s like Dog Day Afternoon and The French Connection. The Criterion DVD has audio commentary from Yates and the booklet has an extremely entertaining gonzo journalistic profile of Robert Mitchum from Grover Jones for Rolling Stone and an essay by film critic Kent Jones.
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