Movie #37 The Friends of Eddie Coyle

After watching "The Town" a few weeks ago I kept reading about a movie that it apparently drew pretty heavily from.  The Friends of Eddie Coyle. So I saw it and man, I would say so.  The Town owes about 40% of it's scenes and shots and even it's location to Eddie Coyle.

The friends of Eddie Coyle stars one of my new favorite actors Robert Mitchum as well as Peter Boyle, Steven Keats, Richard Jordan and Alex Rocco.  Dynamite cast!  The story is about a nice guy thief "Eddie Coyle" played with a cool understated sense of urgency by Robert Mitchum.  Colye is looking at doing a few years in the joint for some minor truck heist he was a part of.  In order to avoid doing that time he is ratting out every two bit thug and thief he knows.  In addition to that he is working with a crew that is holding up banks all across Boston.

This film is held together by Mitchum's performance, but the supporting cast is like the sprinkles on the cake.  Keats and Jordan were both excellent in their roles.  This films was made made in 1973 and it looks like it.  Of course you have the vehicles from that time period, the wah-wah guitar soundtrack and the wardrobe is dated to say the least.  At times it reminded me a little of Dirty Harry and The French Connection.  High praise in both cases.  The direction in the film is slick without drawing attention to its self.  A perfect example of that 70"s action character study.  There is a fantastic scene shot during a Boston Bruins hockey game.  Another scene stolen by Affleck except he uses Finway Park and the Sox instead of Bobby Orr and the Bruins.

I don't have a lot more to say about this film.  It is shot and directed very professionally, the writing is solid, the performances are wonderful.  If I was to nit pick something, it was a little disjointed.  I didn't always understand the bank robbery scenes and how they tied into the overall plot.  This movie also makes its protaginist a snitch.  That is a person that can be a little hard to pull for.  Especially when his motives are unclear of weak.  In Eddie Coyle's case I would say both apply, but Mitchum is so charismatic he can make me overlook those minor flaws.

I would give this film a 4/5 stars and make this a must see.  If for nothing else it is a great example of a heist movie that has been borrowed from for 30 plus years now.  Check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WtR-mi6VtU

Day #20 The Town

I just got home from seeing The Town staring and directed by Ben Affleck.  I have to say, I am impressed.  As I continually say on these blogs, I love crime movies.  Gangsters films, hit man movies, heist films all of that.  I eat it up.  The town is kind of a mixture of all of those sub genres and set in a Boston suburb/slum.

The film is about a gang of masked guys that rob banks.  They take a hostage for insurance one time.  They do release her without harming her.  In order to make sure that she can't ID them, Ben Affleck begins dating her.  Then (of course) he falls for her.

I was a little apprehensive about this movie before going.  I haven't seen Afflecks directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, but heard decent reviews.  I was extremely impressed by his talents though.  He stages action scenes very well.  The romantic scenes are tender without being mushy. There are some really great overhead shots that give you a feel for the area.  The script was penned by a crew including Peter Craig and Affleck himself.  The love story is a little weak, but by the end of the movie they are able to pull it all together enough.

One thing that I liked about this movie is that I didn't know how it was going to end.  There were almost and endless amount of roads this film could have gone down.  I will say that while being a little more conventional that I would prefer, the ending was satisfying. 

Blake Lively plays a drugged out barfly who is a former lover of Affleck.  I only mention this because I have no idea who that is, but my girlfriend says she is on some TV show "Gossip Girl"?  The only TV I watch is Turner Classic Movies.  Apparently this role is a real break out from her normal typecast roles.

John Ham is in this as well.  I am told he is very good on another TV show "Mad Men".  Again I have no idea.  Jeremy Renner from last years The Hurt Locker plays another one of the thieves. He continues with another good role and performance.  The Boston accent can be a little grating, but the cast here don't abuse it. 

The performance are solid all the way around.  There are some good cameos.  I really like Pete Postlethwaite in his small role.  You might know him better as "Kobayashi".  Kiaser Soze's assistant in The Usual Suspects.  Another thing I like about The Town is that Affleck adds comedic elements at just the right time and in just the right amount.  I would highly recommend this film.  It is one of the better films that I have seen in theaters this year.  It should garnish a few nominations come award time.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXY_JvOK63c