The 1973 crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle, directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Mitchum, is one of the defining films of the 1970s Hollywood New Wave. It stands as a quintessential example of the era’s approach to storytelling: gritty realism, moral ambiguity, and a rejection of the stylized tropes that had dominated previous decades.
At the same time, The Friends of Eddie Coyle pays homage to the film noir tradition of the 1940s and 50s, drawing from its fatalistic worldview, complex characters and shadowy criminal underworld. By examining the film within the context of these two cinematic movements, we can see how it serves as a bridge between classical and modern crime cinema, blending the existential dread of film noir with the disillusionment and realism of 1970s America.
1970s Hollywood New Wave: A Shift in American Cinema
The late 1960s and 1970s marked a significant transformation in Hollywood filmmaking. The traditional studio system was in decline and a new generation of directors emerged, influenced by European cinema and eager to explore complex themes in a more realistic manner. Known as New Hollywood or the Hollywood New Wave, this movement was characterized by antiheroes, bleak narratives, and an emphasis on social realism. Films such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The French Connection (1971), Mean Streets (1973), and Chinatown (1974) showcased this new aesthetic, breaking away from the clean-cut protagonists and happy endings of classical Hollywood.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle fits squarely within this movement, indeed it preceeds many of the films of this era and paves a path to a renewed interest in noir-themed movies. Unlike the high-energy heist films of earlier decades, it presents crime as a grimy, day-to-day struggle rather than an romanticised adventure. The film is almost devoid of traditional action sequences, instead focusing on character interactions, betrayals, and the slow, inevitable downfall of its protagonist.
The Gritty Realism of The Friends of Eddie Coyle
One of the most striking aspects of The Friends of Eddie Coyle is its commitment to realism. Adapted from George V. Higgins’ novel, the film immerses the audience in the low-level criminal underbelly of Boston. Eddie Coyle, played masterfully by Robert Mitchum, is a weary, aging small-time gunrunner facing prison time. His attempts to secure leniency by becoming an informant only leading him deeper into a web of deception and betrayal, one that ultimately seals his fate.
The dialogue, adapted almost verbatim from Higgins’ novel, is sharp and naturalistic, lending authenticity to the world of career criminals and undercover cops. There is no romanticized depiction of crime—just mundane, desperate men making deals in diners, parking lots, and dimly lit bars. Unlike classic gangster films, which often mythologized criminals, The Friends of Eddie Coyle presents the mobsters as tragic figures trapped in an unyielding system.
The Noir Influence: Shadows of the Past
While The Friends of Eddie Coyle is undeniably a product of the 1970s, its connections to film noir are evident. Film noir, which flourished in the 1940s and 50s, was defined by its pessimistic outlook, chiaroscuro lighting, and morally ambiguous characters. Movies like Double Indemnity (1944), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), and Kiss Me Deadly (1955) featured protagonists who were often doomed from the start, their fates dictated by their own flaws or an unforgiving world of deceit and betrayal. Eddie Coyle is very much a noir protagonist. He is not a mastermind or a ruthless gangster but an everyman figure who has spent his life navigating the criminal underworld.
Like many noir heroes before him, he attempts to escape his fate through negotiation and manipulation, but in the end, he is powerless against forces larger than himself. His weary resignation echoes characters like Fred MacMurray’s Walter Neff in Double Indemnity or Sterling Hayden’s Dix Handley in The Asphalt Jungle—men who dream of escape but are ultimately caught in a trap of their own making.
The cinematography also shares a kinship with noir aesthetics. While the film does not rely on the expressionistic shadows of classic noir, its muted colour palette and bleak urban landscapes evoke a similar sense of entrapment. The Boston setting, captured in all its cold, unwelcoming glory, serves as a modern counterpart to the rain-soaked streets and shadowy alleys of 1940s Los Angeles.
Robert Mitchum: A Noir Icon in the New Hollywood Era
One of the most compelling aspects of The Friends of Eddie Coyle is the casting of Robert Mitchum as the titular character. Mitchum was a veteran of classic film noir, having starred in Out of the Past (1947), The Big Steal (1949), and Angel Face (1953) – to name but a few. His presence in The Friends of Eddie Coyle creates an implicit connection between the two cinematic traditions.
Unlike his earlier roles, where he often played cynical but suave tough guys, here he is a broken man whose best days are long behind him. His performance is understated yet deeply affecting, a testament to the evolution of crime cinema from the stylized cool of noir to the bleak realism of the 1970s. We can view Eddie as a product of the 1940s and 50s, washed-up and desperate, his glory years far behind him.
Thematic Parallels: Fatalism and Moral Decay
Both film noir and New Hollywood crime films share a sense of fatalism, a belief that the world is governed by forces beyond individual control. In classic noir, this often took the form of fate, bad luck, or a duplicitous femme fatale. In The Friends of Eddie Coyle, it manifests through systemic corruption and the inescapable nature of the criminal lifestyle.
Eddie’s ultimate downfall is not due to a single mistake but rather the accumulation of circumstances, betrayals, and the unforgiving reality of his world. He believes he can outmaneuver his fate, but little does he realise the game is rigged from the start. This aligns closely with the thematic concerns of 1970s cinema, which frequently explored disillusionment, the failure of the American Dream, and the idea that institutions—whether they be the police, the government, or organized crime—operate with little regard for the individual.
Conclusion: A Film That Bridges Eras
The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a film that stands at the crossroads of two defining periods in American cinema. It embodies the raw authenticity and social commentary of 1970s Hollywood New Wave while paying homage to the noir sensibilities that preceded it. Its depiction of crime as a slow, suffocating existence rather than a thrilling adventure aligns it with the best of both traditions.
More than just a great crime film, The Friends of Eddie Coyle serves as a reminder of the evolution of American cinema. By casting a noir legend like Robert Mitchum in one of his most complex and tragic roles, the film subtly acknowledges its roots while firmly planting itself in the bleak, introspective world of 1970s filmmaking. It remains an essential watch for anyone interested in the shifting landscape of crime cinema and the ways in which different eras influence and inform one another.
Check out our discussion about this film after seeing it for the first time a few years ago…
That concludes our article about The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Did you enjoy the review? Let us know in the comments down below!
For more episodes of More Movies Weekly as well as our other shows and podcasts, be sure to check out the Podcasts page on our website.
Remember, you can have a choice of what films we review on our Weekly podcast by joining us on Patreon here.
Please join us on social media on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook. We really appreciate all the likes, shares, retweets etc., and we would love to hear from you and continue chatting about all things cinema on these platforms.
If you love to watch videos on YouTube, then please subscribe to our channel here. There’s lots of fun and informative videos uploaded that we hope you will enjoy!
We have a passion for movies and aim to produce entertaining and informative movie-related content. It certainly is a lot of hard work, but we love films so much that it’s worth all the effort. We have to keep the lights on and make sure we have plenty of caffeine to keep all of the articles, videos and social media posts coming, so if you like our work, then please consider supporting us at Buy Me A Coffee here. You can also become a More Movies patron on Patreon here.
To help support us here at More Movies, we do use advertising in a few places and we try our best to make sure they are not intrusive or aggressive, so we appreciate it if you do not use AdBlockers on our site. Who knows, you may actually see something you like!
We are also affiliated with Funky T-shirts so be sure to check out their range of cool t-shirts which include categories Film & TV, Slogans and Retro Comics!
