Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Friends of Eddie Coyle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 5, 2015

Peter Yates' "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include collection of production stills and an audio commentary by director Peter Yates. The release also arrives with a 44-page illustrated booklet featuring "They Were Expandable" by Kent Jones and "You Know What the 2001 Theme Is? That's the Sound of Mitchum Waking Up" by Peter Boyle. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"They put your hand in a drawer. Somebody kicks the drawer shut. Ever hear bones breaking? Just like a man snapping a shingle. Hurts like a bastard."

Eddie "Fingers" Coyle (Robert Mitchum, Out of the Past) has never been a star, but in Boston he is a popular man. He knows things -- how to get guns quickly, what crew is planning the next big hit, the name of the loser that will soon die in an accident.

Now, at the age of 51, Eddie is looking to make a deal. He has been caught driving a truck loaded with stolen booze and unless someone puts in a good word for him at the D.A.’s office in a few weeks he could be sent to jail in New Hampshire.

That someone could be Dave Foley (Richard Jordan, Rooster Cogburn), an ambitious local agent who has been dying to get promoted. Eddie thinks that he has the type of information that can inspire the agent to offer him a deal that will not only help him stay out of jail, but erase his past and let him start a new life someplace warm, like Arizona. When they first meet, Eddie offers to help the agent arrest an illegal gun dealer (Steven Keats, Hester Street). But the agent tricks Eddie and later on demands that he gives him something bigger, something that can convince the D.A. that he has truly switched sides.

The film is based on the best-selling novel by George V. Higgins, a prosecutor-turned-writer who knew the Boston underworld and the type of odd deals real cops and gangster struck there. It is a very moody piece, but it sees the dark side of Boston like a well researched documentary would -- without glamorizing and paying attention to all sorts of different details. (Even the accents are incredibly well done).

Mitchum is perfectly cast as the aging gangster. He looks appropriately jaded, like a man who has finally realized that his best years are behind him, and vulnerable. On the inside he is still tough, but he no longer has the energy and desire to go against the system and exploit its weaknesses. Now all he wants is the boring but safe life he once rejected. From the moment he steps in front of the camera Mitchum literally becomes this man; he does not play the old-timer, he is the old-timer.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. Peter Boyle plays the shady bartender Dillon and he also looks like a man who has spent the majority of his life pouring drinks and talking to dangerous people. Keats is cocky but careful, like a real small-time gun dealer who has done more deals than he can remember. And Foley is exactly the type of character James "Whitey" Bulger was probably talking to before he fled Boston in 1994.

Director Peter Yates shot the film with cinematographer Victor Kemper on location in Boston (Quincy, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Dedham, etc). There is even a sequence that was shot in the Boston Garden during a real hockey game between the Bruins and the Blackhawks. Needless to say, the entire film oozes ‘70s Boston authenticity and atmosphere.

The stylish soundtrack was created by jazz legend Dave Grusin (Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, Steve Kloves’ The Fabulous Baker Boys).

The Friends of Eddie Coyle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Yates' The Friends of Eddie Coyle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from a 35mm interpositive and a 35mm color reversal intermediate struck from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt.

Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Sue Gates/Modern VideoFilm, Los Angeles."

A pre-existing master has been accessed to produce the release. Generally speaking, depth and clarity are very pleasing, with the daylight footage in particular looking quite nice, but there are various noticeable density fluctuations. In select areas, shadow definition also fluctuates. Grain is present throughout the entire film, but it can be underexposed. As a result, occasionally the image becomes a bit too soft. Nevertheless, definition remains quite pleasing. Colors are stable and natural, but saturation can be improved. The best news here is that there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is also very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, stains, or scratches. All in all, even though there is clearly room for some improvements, the film still has a nice organic appearance. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Friends of Eddie Coyle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

Clarity is very good but there are some minor depth fluctuations. It is clear, however, that these are source limitations. Dave Grusin's score has an important role and thankfully it breathes easily throughout the entire film. There is no distracting background hiss, pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Stills Gallery - presented here is a collection of rare behind-the-scenes photos from the shooting of The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Select captions feature 2009 comments by director Peter Yates. Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures. (1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary with director Pete Yates was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2009. It initially appeared on the label's DVD release of the film.

• Booklet - 44-page illustrated booklet featuring: "They Were Expandable" by Kent Jones; "You Know What the 2001 Theme Is? That's the Sound of Mitchum Waking Up" by Peter Boyle; and technical credits.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Yates directed The Friends of Eddie Coyle in 1973, but this film still feels relevant today. All one needs to do is take a look at Joe Berlinger's recent documentary Whitey: United States of America V. James J. Bulger and it becomes painfully obvious that in Boston cops and gangsters were always comfortable working together. The great Robert Mitchum is fantastic as the aging Eddie "Fingers" Coyle. Criterion's technical presentation of The Friends of Eddie Coyle is good, but the film can look even better on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.