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The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Play trailer Poster for The Friends of Eddie Coyle R 1973 1h 40m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 86% 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.
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The Friends of Eddie Coyle

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) May 24, 2022
4/4
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. Go to Full Review G.J. Fleming Orlando Sentinel Aug 24, 2021
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. Go to Full Review Elston Brooks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Aug 24, 2021
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." Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Dec 22, 2025
4/5
‘The Friends of Eddie Coyle could have been a commercial classic with a Steve McQueen in the lead, but it’s still pretty good with powder-fresh Mitchum, who really captures the ebbing internal energy of Eddie Coyle in Peter Yates' downbeat thriller… Go to Full Review Paine Knickerbocker San Francisco Examiner Aug 24, 2021
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad 5 days ago The Friends of Eddie Coyle = a *4.5 star Movie... See more Junior S @RT39899143 Sep 21, 2026 Friends of Eddie Coyle doesn’t ask us to sympathize with anyone. There are no heroes. There are no villains. There are only actions taken by players who occupy the middle range of criminality. They are not elite, but nor are they hoods. In this way it’s a slice of life drama, and most acutely presents tragedy as not tragedy, it’s just what happens. Probably Robert Mitchum’s most insightful performance. The entire movie was shot on location, no studios and no sets, no artifice. Utterly superb filmmaking. See more Judi L @Solobarlady Sep 15, 2026 Read the book! The movie doesn’t nearly capture the writing and the dialogue in the book which is brilliant. Mitchum and most of the cast are miscast as lowlife thugs just tryin’ to live their lives. The movie even gave away a major plot point early in the movie…sad. Again, read the book…you will not be sorry… See more revolver.0 8 @Revolver08 Feb 9, 2026 boring and overrated See more Merick H @RT59327164 Nov 22, 2025 Great classic crime film... See more Totally Legal A @RT72405282 Oct 17, 2025 Read a book. They made Jackie Brown white which led to Tarantino making one of the worst films of his career. Stick to the script, this is one movie that is only decent when doing so. See more Read all reviews
The Friends of Eddie Coyle

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Cast & Crew

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Peter Yates

Director

Robert Mitchum

Eddie "Fingers" Coyle

Peter Boyle

Dillon

Richard Jordan

Dave Foley

Steven Keats

Jackie Brown

Alex Rocco

Jimmy Scalise

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The Friends of Eddie Coyle

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) View more photos

Movie Info

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
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