Just saw the film on DVD…saw it years and years ago when there were wolves in Wales and am a big big fan of everything George V. Higgins (one of the most underrated writers of the 20th cent) ever wrote.
That said, the film is a bit flat – because it is so realistic. On the other hand everyone gives a terrific performance, some of whom are never mentioned. Peter Boyle, a Chicago boy, manages the Boston accent…Joe Santos, all dressed up in sideburns and ‘statche does great – he’s not mentioned anywhere, but this was one of his roles on the way to the Rockford Files…
As you watch the film you realize that in 1973 it was still OK for actors to have bad teeth – something I’ve been noting for the past year or so…
I have a favorite line from the book which is in the movie..Boyle is telling the ATF guy about this van the Mob uses…the line is only slightly condensed in the movie but the essence is still there: “You know what you gotta do when that thing comes up behind you on the Mystic River Bridge? You better make a good act of contrition that’s what you gotta do….”
There are dozens of lines like that in the movie, all of them almost directly from the book. Read the book. See the movie.
Has anyone seen The Friends of Eddie Coyle??????????? almost 3 years ago
Just saw the film on DVD…saw it years and years ago when there were wolves in Wales and am a big big fan of everything George V. Higgins (one of the most underrated writers of the 20th cent) ever wrote.
That said, the film is a bit flat – because it is so realistic. On the other hand everyone gives a terrific performance, some of whom are never mentioned. Peter Boyle, a Chicago boy, manages the Boston accent…Joe Santos, all dressed up in sideburns and ‘statche does great – he’s not mentioned anywhere, but this was one of his roles on the way to the Rockford Files…
As you watch the film you realize that in 1973 it was still OK for actors to have bad teeth – something I’ve been noting for the past year or so…
I have a favorite line from the book which is in the movie..Boyle is telling the ATF guy about this van the Mob uses…the line is only slightly condensed in the movie but the essence is still there: “You know what you gotta do when that thing comes up behind you on the Mystic River Bridge? You better make a good act of contrition that’s what you gotta do….”
There are dozens of lines like that in the movie, all of them almost directly from the book. Read the book. See the movie.
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