The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Criterion blu-ray screening. Tarantino's source of inspiration. An incredibly austere, emotionally cold film. Yates always made films like this, even the famous Bullitt was like this, but there he at least pushed some emotion through McQueen and had some memorable scenes. There are two bank robberies, one of which lasts about a minute, the other at the beginning of the film is chillingly cold, executed with stoic calm, really well done, but that's where the positives end. Everything here is done with such a calm face, even the actors declaim in a static manner, Mitchum is literally just a number here, his "both sides" game is actually quite meaningless, as are the woes of the young arms dealer. The 100 minutes of runtime dissolve like steam over a pot, without involving the viewer in the plot, and that's quite disappointing given the cult status the film has overseas. (06.10.2018)

Yates hooks the audience with a heist concept, but instead of a standard genre flick, he lays out before them a coolly reserved yet fascinating crime movie about the unpredictable nature of life at the edge of the law. Furthermore, without prior knowledge of the plot, the narrative is a labyrinth in which various characters move around, as their relationships with each other and their roles in the entire criminal structure are only gradually revealed. The screenplay uses this not for dramatic twists, but rather for the purpose of building supense and concurrently conveying the cynicism of the criminal underworld and officers of the law, where no one knows who is going to go for his throat or sell him out for the illusion of redemption. To a significant extent, the characters’ relationships thus mirror the heists, which actually serve as metaphorical parallels. We first glimpse the ideal scenario, but even though we see that it is feasible and fulfillable, it doesn’t diminish the suspense of the next heist, of whether something will go sideways and what the consequences of that will be. (08.12.2021)

A nice surprise in the form of a reliably made old-school crime film set in the world of American galleries, which I find more interesting than the more famous Bullitt case by the same director. It is a realistic story of an insignificant underworld member who has never been able to properly get going and is terrified at the idea of a trial and subsequent imprisonment, which could mean the end of his family's security in his old age. From there, it's only a step away from collaborating with the police, but give the devil a finger and he'll want the whole hand, and that already feels bad and there is too much at stake. Several criminal offenses, several characters whose fates intertwine, unpredictability, and decent acting performances. In the end, there is a cynical touch in the form of a suggestive dialogue between a policeman and his snitch. Overall impression: 80%. (17.05.2012)