This 1970s Neo Noir is the Best Boston Movie: The Friends of Eddie Coyle
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2021
- "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," (1973), is an underrated 1970s neo noir and the best Boston movie. Filmed in Boston in the fall of 1972, Starring Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco and Steven Keats and directed Peter Yates, and based on the book by George V. Higgins, the movie is considered one of the best of the 1970's neo noir movies, and one the most authentic Boston movies ever made.
From gritty urban contemporary 70s landscapes, to the conformists post war suburban shopping malls, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," shows us a Boston in transition. The Friends of Eddie Coyle filming locations span the Boston area.
Filmed without sentiment against the backdrop of a quickly changing city, this underrated 70s neo noir features one of Robert Mitchum's best performances. The movie is a visual record of a place and time that's passed.
*I misidentified the scene labeled SOMERVILLE *
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If you're interested in the films and books mentioned in this video I've listed where you can find them in the links below.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) Blu-Ray: amzn.to/3OlG9sr
The Friends of Eddie Coyle DVD: amzn.to/3Mdqfi6
The Friends of Eddie Coyle By George V. Higgins (Paperback): amzn.to/3814HpS
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As a Boston boy, I'm biased, but this is really one of the best gangster films ever made. There really is zero sentiment for its main characters. Also Robert Mitchum's Boston accent is actually pretty good, especially for an early 70s film! Actually a damn sight better than most of the stuff from the last 20 years.
It’s so good I think partly because it focuses on these low level criminals and their lives. It’s seedy and gritty. I love Mitchum in this one. It’s in my top 3 Mitchum performances.
Yeah, I thought the accents were all pretty good, actually
I agree, not gussied up one bit with absolutely zero expendable dialogue.
I grew up in Sharon. I still remember as a little kid watching them film the shootout at the train station. Whole area was shutdown by the police but I snuck in on my bike. Brings back great memories.
Wow! That's cool. I absolutely would've snuck in too!
Did you get any reefer from Bob Mitchum?
I know that most people would cite Out of the Past, Cape Fear, or Night of the Hunter, as Mitchum's best films, but for me this is his finest screen moment. It is a shame he never really got close to an Oscar, except for the nomination for G.I. Joe. This is a really great film.
This film is a masterpiece. It has stuck with me since the first time I saw it. Mitchum is perfect. He's old, tired and just worn out. Only Mitchum can play this and he's exactly the right age. Dingy early 70s Boston reminds me of the dirty, drab locations in Get Carter, another masterpiece.
Mitchum is excellent in this with a pretty good Boston accent he gets great support from Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan Director Peter Yates had a good career directing breaking away and Bullitt.
This is one of my all time favorite performances by Robert Mitchum. He just nails the desperation of Eddie, Mitchum said of the character, "once I had the haircut, I had the character."
@Giavannie Gianguzzi I really love the films of the 1970s. I love how gritty and bleak a lot of them are.
I first saw this film by "accident" more than 20 years ago on the bbc. It still stands up...im happy to know how popular it is
Mitchum, who I adore, was a master of the hangdog air of resigned acceptance. He often makes Burt Lancaster's Swede waiting for THE KILLERS look downright jovial.
For me, Richard Jordan stole the movie with his portrayal of the slimy sleazy agent.
@@Tabish29 He is very good, yes.
That scene where he's describing having his fingers broken by a drawer, one of the best Mitchum scenes.
I agree. Also, Mitchum was doing some amazing stuff in the early 70s
@@CinemaCities1978 Fantastic actor!
Just watched your fine Eddie Coyle piece once again. Still find myself driving by the remaining filming locations in North Quincy, Dedham and Miltons Hougtons Pond as well as the old Squantum airbase (the Bindfolded first bank managers dropoff) whenever I'm back in town. So many fine performances particularly RIchard Jordens breathless Mirandas rights line at the end of that tense Sharon Station bust. Living in LA one will often bump into the odd actor but I will always remember seeing the tragic Stephen Keats sitting alone in a little Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, wished I had said Hello... Got some autographs for a few of my noir posters over the years but ran out of time for my ridiculous Eddie Coyle collection. Anyway your Robert Ryan and Sterling Hayden videos were wonderful and you could see they were made with much love. Proud to be a member now and always looking forward to the next Cinema Cities
correction, Houghtons Pond
Yes. Ryan was a collegiate boxing champ at Dartmouth.
a classic film which is often ignored. director peter yates is often ignored (bullitt, breaking away). mitchum is often ignored. thanks for the effort and the sharing. thumbs up.
Mitchum's work in the 1970s is really good and his filmography includes some top notch work. He is definitely an actor who should not be ignored.
I saw this movie for the first time last week. I'm sort of upset that I didn't know about it before, but thrilled I found out. Gritty is a word that is over used, but fits this film perfectly. Mrs. Coyle is the best and I like Eddie's hair just fine.
It's really a low key classic. Anyone who's seen it has nothing but raves for it. It's legitimately gritty and in a decade of seriously bleak films, I find this one to be one of the 1970s bleakest movies.
I saw this movie on cable TV in the late 1980's. This film is a neo noir which came about in the 1970's. They showed cities such as Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal as being gritty, blighted, and dark. Eddie Coyle was a character who has been through the ringer. The movie was a dark look at the seamy underworld of the Boston mob.
The 70s city movies were so good. New York in The Taking of Pelham 123 is so evocative but the film was not trying to evoke any nostalgia as it was set in a contemporary New York, which was just dirtier and grittier than the modern city. Even the " near " future New York of The Warriors had the city as an amazing backdrop.
Mitchum was absolutely fabulous in this movie !!!!!
One of the greatest 'crime' movies ever made. Robert Mitchum one of the best ever. Love his quote after 6 months in the LA County jail for reefer. Someone asked him how he got on, 'I met a better class of person than I ever did in Palm Springs'. Legend!
Mitchum was such a shoot from the hip guy. He's one of my favorite actors. I love how his work got more interesting the older he got. I'm also am a big fan of his take on Philip Marlow in FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (1975)
One of My all time Favorite's..I worked at a Theater during 1973 as a Kid, So I Saw this Movie many times..Robert Mitchum was a great actor.
Eddie Coyle's Roadhouse Restaurant and Tavern in Dracut, Ma. I drive by it on my way to visit my sister.
I read the book YEARS ago. EXCELLENT!! Wicked awesome.
Great film, the most realistic depiction of the Boston area ever on the big screen. Makes it even more enjoyable as a local. Gone Baby Gone did a decent job as well but this one takes top prize.
100% agree. No other Boston movie comes CLOSE
I just love RIchard Jordan. Great video, thanks for your work!
I watched this film yesterday after looking at this UA-cam short. This film is a hidden gem, with great performances from the cast. What struck me was the dog-eat-dog nature of the main characters, Mitchum who was prepared to send a man to jail for life (not that the guy didn't deserve it), the hitman bartender playing both the cop and Mitchum, and the cop who was happy to exploit informants. I'm 65, I was born, raised and still live in Northern England; I grew up in Teesside, a very working class or "blue collar" place, I was reminded of my teenage years, the greyness and hopelessness cut through. I really enjoyed this movie & I will definitely share it with my grandson (he's 16, and we do a 60s/70s/80s film night every so often); I was planning on Marathon Man next, but this may jump the queue! Thank you Cinema Cities, great channel!! A British film that has similarities is the original 1971 Get Carter with Michael Caine, it has the same ruthless grittiness that this film has.
In the last season of the show "Justified" the main character, Raylan Givens, takes an old paperback out of his desk drawer and hands it to his partner, telling him if he really wants to know how criminals think he should read it. It's "The Friends of Eddie Coyle".
The book is a great read - IIRC it is 100% dialogue
Justified is a great show and being based on a character devised by the great Elmore Leonard was a definite must watch for me.
nice catch
Being a lifelong New Englander and Bostonian born in 1981, i can say this is the best monologue I've heard that describes not only the old Boston I remember as a kid,, but also why the old Boston in all its gritty glory was so great! From the old Boston Garden to the T stations this movie is like Boston porn for Bostonians wishing to go down memorial lane, love the back story of Alex Rocco as well who was a real life former member of the infamous Somerville based Winter Hill Gang led by Buddy McClean and later Howie Winter.
I love that "Boston porn!" I'm not from Boston but the way Peter Yates brought the city to life in this film has stayed with me ever since my first viewing. It's one of the film I most recommend to people for for its gritty 70s realism and peek at a lost way of life.
I'm a suburban Bostonian born in 1958. Definitely helps me remember how things were in Boston when I was 12.
There are no mansions like that in Sommerville. Sommerville is an urban city. One of the most realistic crime movies ever.
I agree. When It spd Somerville I knew it was an error.
The mansion from the kidnapping is on Adams street on Milton Hill. It’s right up the street from Lower Mills in Dorchester.
No other early 70's crime thriller can touch this film.
I grew up in Quincy Massachusetts and first read the book by George Higgins when I was 15. You nailed it. Boston was simply a much tougher place then. Not better, just tougher, grittier. Brava.
I like that "not better, just tougher" that's very well said!
The reason why this is a great movie is because it’s based on a great novel. George V Higgins was every bit as masterful a writer as Elmore Leonard. He wrote a lot fewer books, and never caught on like Elmore. If you haven’t yet, read him.
Ah yes. God, this was such a film school fave; we absolutely loved it. You mention that it's gritty; I think it's among the grittiest movies of the entire decade, and man that's saying a LOT. Mitchum had among his greatest moments in the 70s: "Coyle", the superb remake of "The Big Sleep", and "That Championship Season" (ok, that was 82, but it was written in the 70s).
eddie coyle and big sleep are gems, so is farewell my lovely.
Excellent remembrance of the movie! And what a movie it was! I would highly recommend Rolling Stone’s profile of Robert Mitchum done at the time he was making “Coyle.” Grew up in Massachusetts in the 1950’s through early ‘70’s. Saw concerts in Boston Garden.
That Mitchum article is pretty wild and a great profile of the man.
Love the slow burn, understated pace. Hell of a film!
100% agree. This is also the movie that got me to check out Mitchum's other 70s films. Besides Eddie Coyle, he was giving some absolutely amazing performances throughout the decade.
All of the acting is top notch, Peter Boyle is always good and I love the opening dialogue between Mitchum and Stephen Keats.
Only seen this once...wanna see it again.
I own it on 4K Blu Ray from the Criterion Collection. Good film.
Such a great analysis of this gem of a Boston movie. The 1970s were captured exactly right. Thanks for showing the locations, too- i.e. Dedham Plaza. I lived near there for years, and it’s completely changed.
I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I did have some mistakes in labelling some of the locations, but overall I think I did an ok job exploring how the film captured a very distinct time and place in American history.
This movie is almost entirely filmed on location unlike the Departed that morphed into an over the top studio special effects sacrificing more dialogue .
Yes, I agree 100% over the top is a perfect way to describe The Departed. There is an authenticity to Eddie Coyle that is very much missing from The Departed.
@@CinemaCities1978 Peter Yates was one of the best directors of the 70's and early 80's . I loved Breaking Away in 1980 .
@@770WT yes and Bullitt and there’s a lesser known thriller from the 80s called The House on Carroll Street (with Jeff Daniels and Kelly McGillis). That movie does a really nice job of recreating 1950s NYC in a low key but authentic way.
Don't forget that "The Departed" is an Americanized version of the stylish Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs" (2002) so it is really not so unique to Boston like Coyle is. Coyle's dialog is almost lifted word for word from the great George V. Higgins' novel of the same name. Andrew Dominik's "Killing The Softly" (2012) also borrows the majority of its dialog from another hard puncher from Higgins called "Cogan's Trade". That film was shot in New Orleans but the film's setting is left ambiguous (but there are clear Boston area references) and also has a hitman character named Dillon - though it's unclear (in the film and the book) if he is the same character in the FoEC "universe" :)
The Departed was a joke.
Hoping this doesn't sound ageist, but it's nice to see a younger person appreciating this "old man" movie. Thank you! Others here have mentioned Mitchum's later work. Two examples of great performances are in the Jim Jarmusch movie Dead Man and a made-for-tv movie called A Killer in the Family, where he is downright despicable. Robert Mitchum's imdb bio describes him as "an underrated leading man of enormous ability..."
What a great underrated movie this is if you never seen it before watch it and if your from mass and never seen this move smh at you
This is my 2nd screening of this episode. I revisited it after a young contributor recommended it on NPR.
Planning to screen it this weekend. I am a huge fan/student of 70's cinema, but had never heard of TFoEC until your episode highlighting all the things in the film I love about 70's cinema, on the whole. Thank you for this one!
Oh man Mr Kurt, after you watch this one it will become a favorite. It's the perfect movie to watch on a gloomy autumn day. Also, it's got all the hits of 70s cinema: pessimism, bleak storyline, a setting and story steeped in realism, post war urban decay, morally ambiguous characters...😂 You're going to love it!
@@CinemaCities1978 It's kinda funny we're both excited by those things! Hahahaha!
71 roadrunner ❤
Even in the interiors, the look of the film is so cold. You can really feel that Boston winter light in every frame. Also Mitchum, what else can you say? He's great. The Yakuza is another awesome one with him from the 70s
Great job, ... the music, the sights, the words and the cadence of your speech made it all rather hypnotic. Probably helped that I went to school in Boston in 1980 and recognize a lot of these locations.
I used to bowl at those alleys on Morrissey Blvd. (seen in last frames). We used to drink beer in the lot where Eddie checked out.
So many of these places are gone, I love hearing the stories from the people who were actually there.
I’m from Brockton. A city on the outskirts, south of Boston. I’ve never seen/heard of this movie. Can’t wait to see it.
Prepare for a bleak ride into 1970s grit and grime. It's fantastic!
I’m from Avon. This movie is the most accurate depiction of the area from the time period. A lot of the locations have modernized or changed but you’ll probably still recognize a lot.
Nice video. Most online narrators slaughter the English, French, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian languages. But you pronounced Quincy correctly. Good girl.
The quarry scenes were at Rowes Quarry in the Linden section of Malden, if you lived in Middlesex/Suffolk Mass. and remember your street having a red-pink hue, it was the red granite from That quarry.
Great upload and I agree wholeheartedly. I've always loved that film and what makes the film even more interesting is the behind the scenes activities that went on while making it. You can find a reprint of the old Rolling Stone article on the net wherein a Rolling Stone reporter hangs out on the set and with Mitchum for a few weeks. Quite a long article and some very eye opening details. Mitchum hung out and partied with the Winter Hill Gang who were acting as what were called 'Teamos' on the set. If you enjoyed this film, find that article. You won't be disappointed.
I’ve read that article. It’s great. Yeah, Mitchum was a wild character. I specifically remember the part about the girls he “hung out with” while in Boston and his daughter on set. It’s a great peek at Robert Mitchum who was really doing some great movie work in the 1970s.
Have the paperback. Great little book. Great movie adaptation
The Quarry is in Malden. I grew up in Dedham born in 68. The opening scene and the bank still is there. Doesn't look The same though. And the plaza shots are right down the street.
How does the plaza look today? I suspect all of the shops that were there in 1972 are gone.
Superb flick!
One of the best of the 1970s!
Well done. At that time, I was a pre-teen growing up in one of the towns where the movie was filmed. You’ve done a good job explaining how the movie captured part of the spirit of the place that was metro Boston in the early 1970s.
Thank you so much! Eddie Coyle is one of those movies that so well captures a time and place it almost feels like a documentary. Also, Robert Mitchum is just so darn good in it.
@Giavannie Gianguzzi Yes, yes! Steve Keats is fantastic as Jackie Brown.
Well written review. Great job!
Just what to thank you again for such a wealth of films that so amazing. I thought tha I had seen pretty much all Film noir that had been made but after finding your channel it seems I haven't seen the half of it. It's rainy cold and day and I am on my holidays, just perfect to watch all these great films you have so amazingly presented to us. Thank you so much. 🕵️👏🏽👏🏽😘
The first scene is in Weymouth, not Dedham. The mansion is in Milton, not Somerville.
Yeah, I didn't know where that house was, but there's definitely nowhere in Somerville that looks like that!
Funny- I sympathize with EDDIE!!! HE HAS NO WAY OUT, BUT FIGHTS IT ALL THE WAY!!
You have good taste, I love this picture.
As to the comparisons to "The Departed", let's not forget that it is an Americanized version (in some cases shot for shot) of the stylish Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs" (2002) so, though shot on location, it is really not as unique to Boston as Coyle is. Also remember that Coyle's dialog is lifted almost word for word from the George V. Higgins (aka the 'Bard of Boston') novel of the same name. Andrew Dominik's "Killing Them Softly" (2012) also borrows the majority of its dialog from another Higgins hard puncher titled "Cogan's Trade". That film was shot in New Orleans and though the film's setting is left ambiguous, there are clear Boston area references in the dialog and it also has a hitman character named Dillon - though it's unclear (in the film and the book) if he is the same Dillon from the FoEC "universe" :)
Thank you for reminding me I want to watch this film again. The collapse of the studio system in the 1960s made filmmakers free to show life as it is (at least until the Reagan era, sigh), not as the studio heads and censors wanted it to look like (Goldwyns' cleanliness fetish is a hoot). EDDIE COYLE is a perfect example. Unsentimental, but with a genuine heart and respect for its characters and setting. Boston is a costar of this film, every bit as much as NYC in THE NAKED CITY and my birth-city of Philadelphia in ROCKY. I moved to Boston in 1989, so this grittier version was already fading, but I loved the city so much I settled down here - twice. :)
It's so unsentimental it's a little painful. I can't tell you how much I love Mitchum in the 70s. He's killing it in role after role. THE YAKUZA, FAREWELL MY LOVELY, and EDDIE COYLE and into the 80s in those TV miniseries like WAR AND REMEMBRANCE."
Have you ever seen the NAKED CITY TV show? It's such a great NYC late 50s/early 60s time and place slice of life. Really fantastic.
@@CinemaCities1978 I have not seen tTHE NAKED CITY TV series, though I know you have a video about it. That era of television suggests film noir did not so much end as migrate to the smaller screen. Besides TNC, there are PETER GUNN, JOHNNY STACCATO and a handful of others. Even THE UNTOUCHABLES, which was not remotely noir, was drenched in gorgeous black-and-white under Walter Winchell's portentous voiceover. THE PURPLE GANG, in particular, has some Musuraca-worthy photography; the man of 1,000 noir deaths, Steve Cochran, dies in it as well. Richard Conte has a memorable guest appearance in a different episode.(As history, though, the series gets an F-.)
Mitchum allowed himself to look older and did not let "stardom" influence his later roles. I saw FAREWELL years ago, so I do not remember it clearly, other than noting it as a bit truer to Chandler's novel. I have not seen THE YAKUZA.
It is hard to believe Peter Yates directed this bleak film just a few years before he did "Breaking Away". The contrast in location, tone and central theme could not starker. Some directors made famous films without ever becoming very famous themselves. Michael Apted might be another in this category.
Thanks for this. I watched this film last night. It is beyond brilliant.
Yes it’s really an underrated classic! I’m glad you found it!
Im going to have to watch this, having worked for several year in downtown Boston before escaping!
I found it free on Pluto TV On Demand! Great movie, but definitely predates my time in Boston by a decade. Though the accents weren't as strong as I expected them to be!
My cousins lived a block away from the Sharon MA train station. On the very road shown in the film as the overpass.
Great insight into the wonderful city & people of Boston..Hope to catch the film again soon..
'Count yer knuckles. Hurts like a baastard.'
I saw that film when it came out. Loved it then and even more now. Your narration hit the nail right on the head. It should be, but is not on anyone’s top ten list.
It's such a bummer that Eddie Coyle isn't better known it's a high light of 70s neo noir, a great Boston set film and gives us Robert Mitchum in one his best performances.
Wonderful stuff, CC! Really enjoyed this one. Thanks for sharing the link. Keep up the great work@
As always, thanks for watching MM!!!
Just stumbled across this. Thanks for the mention, Cinema Cities.
You're welcome! Your analysis of Eddie Coyle perfectly expressed the film's bleakness.
ROBERT MITCHUM. WHAT CAN I SAY ? HE WAS A NATURAL BAD BOY. LOVE JUST WATCHING HIS TESTOSTERONE OOZE. BRING BACK REAL MEN. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Its a great book too. Hate to be that guy but it is.
Great commentary. Great flick
Thanks so much for watching. Yes, Eddie Coyle is such a great, but underrated, movie. It really deserves the title of the best Boston movie. Also, Mitchum gives such a world weary performance that it ranks as one of his best.
I want some Friendly"s French vanilla and
a square cheeseburger on square bread
This was delightful! I’m extremely familiar with the locations, given I’m from Boston. George Higgins is from my hometown. I’m on Instagram and also film-themed. I’ll follow this account for sure: it hits what I love: cinema and cities
Also for a potential future suggestion, I’d recommend “So I Married An Axe Murderer”, which is a pretty specific San Francisco movie.
So you are truly a fellow cinema traveler! Nice to meet you. I’ve added “So I Married an Axe Murderer” to the list. It’s been ages since I’ve seen that one. Also, let me know if you’ve got any other films with a strong sense of time and place you’d like me to do a video on.
@@CinemaCities1978 Will do. Coincidentally I’m doing a mini photo series on “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” on my Instagram if you’re curious. Don’t know if it’s possible to message people here but don’t want to give out the name.
As for SIMAAM, it’s fascinating (at least to me) because it captured a San Francisco on the cusp of becoming home to the Silicon Valley crowd and thus, the rise of gentrification. Plus it was hyper local in locations (Fog City Diner) and talent (actor Al Nalbandian) and personality (the beginning felt like a nod to the Beat Generation that called SF home).
As for other locations & movies, I feel like “Singles” caught grunge at its peak in Seattle, 1978’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” got San Francisco during the rise of the self help and New Age era and if you really want to tackle a film that got Chicago at one of its most historically significant moments in history, refer to 1968’s “Medium Cool”.
@@rootbeerfloatsalot I actually put a link to my new Twitter in the about section. Feel free to message me on there. I will add one for Instagram as soon as I set that up.
Also, Body Snatchers in on the list. And yes, Medium Cool is a definite add.
“The Friends of Eddie Coyle” was written by George Higgens who happened to be an Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Massachusetts and Assistant United States Attorney. In other words, he had a front row seat to crime in Boston. Real crime and criminals. Not the guys with politicians and judges in their pockets with great houses and nice cars and beautiful women. He wrote about the guys who actually commit the crimes. The low-life scum. That’s what makes this a great film.
He wrote another book, “Cogan’s Trade” which was made into a movie, “Killing Them Softly” with Brad Pitt. That movie never tells us what city it takes place in, but it could have easily been Boston. It was filmed in New Orleans, but you would never guess it. No French Quarter, no Mississippi River, no Dixieland jazz but instead a run-down dump. It was as bleak and depressing as the scenes in “The Friends of Eddie Coyle”.
Don’t get me wrong, “The Departed” is a masterpiece but it isn’t real. Higgens did something very difficult. He wrote stories that we wanted to read, stories that pulled us in and, most importantly, stories that could have very easily happened in real life.
the opening sequence is in dedham mass.. i can tell
Definitely the best Boston based movie. Not a caricature like many other movies. While great, movies like the departed, boondocks saints, mystic river, and the town catch the essence of the city but not the natural atmosphere.
The Rowe quarry was in Malden ma. I moved to Malden after SUNY new Paltz 1987. You're tag says maiden ma.
I was born in Boston in 1963, and raised in the city...it was a cruel place at a cruel time...we had bussing when I hit middle school age, and in general otherwise, lots of crime and cruelty...the movie sort of reflects that a bit...But Boston did become brighter, and cleaner and less crime ridden, just do not know where all the other working class slobs went, me, I am in Denmark...the country in Northern Europe, hitched up with a Danish dame....but I often still think of bad ole Beantown...cannot get fried clams over here though and apple, pumpkin and other American pies are sorely missed, men alligevel skål...,og ha' en rigtig god dag...
Great film, good overview but... Somerville is not an affluent suburb, doesn't look like that and has only one "m" (was that from the movie?) and I'm pretty sure the bar on Mass Ave and Newbury was really in Southie. Interesting fact: Alex Rocco (who also played Moe Green in the Godfather) is actually Alessandro Petricone, Jr., an original member of the Winter Hill Gang, and connected Mitchum up with some of the real Boston wiseguys who helped with the authenticity. BTW, it may seem gray on film, but that is exactly what it looked like.
I wouldn’t technically call this a “film noir” film as its not shot in B&W, but its topic sure is.
I grew up in the areas where the movie takes place. The movie's like a trip back in time for me. OTOH, despite the fine novel by a guy who knew Boston, it doesn't really get the feel of the Irish underworld. Pauline Kael made a great comparison with this and MEAN STREETS, which not only captures the location, it gets the interconnectedness of the people. But EDDIE COYLE is a terrific flick of its period, right to the end. (Check out George V. Higgins' novel, and one called THE DIGGER'S GAME, which would've made a great quasi-sequel.)
Recently i discovered two great gangster films, Get Carter and this one. Are there other hidden gems like these to discover?
Ohhh, let's see. I don't know how hidden some of these are but here are some great crime films that I love:
Point Blank 1967
Farewell, My Lovely 1975
Night Moves 1975
Across 110 Street 1972
Thief 1981
The Yakuza 1974
The Long Good Friday 1980
If you want some more let me know!
@@CinemaCities1978 I only know Point Blank and Thief, thanks!!
Are you talking 1970s only? And from USA or the UK? I know good ones from both countries
The outfit with robert duvall
@@brendansheerin8980 i will watch it, thanks.
2:54 that isn't Somerville, looks more like affluent Weston, MA.
It's about the Irish mob
2:15 where is maiden?
Well..isn't this video a ringing endorsement for tourists to visit Boston! I grew up the next town over from the railroad station depicted. Yup... accurate though...
The bankers house was milton
Exactly where in "Somerville" is that suburban estate? It doesn't look much like Somerville, nor does Somerville have much open space or vegetated scenery like that. Somerville is the most densely populated city in New England (and the 3rd most dense in the US). The scene looks more like Brookline, Newton, or even Cambridge to me.
HI, thanks for pointing that out. I actually think it is Cambridge and I misidentified it when putting the on screen text in. I really appreciate you catching that. I will add a note in the description. thank you!
Unlikely Somerville (not impossibly Somerville). Yes, more likely Cambridge. Thanks
The house is in Milton on Adams St.. Somerville is incorrect. The sand and gravel scene is in Malden. It is incorrectly spelled as Maiden.
Yes the house is in Milton on Adams St.
@@CinemaCities1978 I dont think it is cambridge either. Maybe Weston or something. I think the only scene in cambridge is one of the parking lots at the end.
Wait.. Thats supposed to be sommerville?
No, it's not. It's mislabeled. But, People in the comments have speculated about the actual location.
LOL
Better than the Town
I loved this video, but when you say out in the most affluent Suburbs are you sure that's not Newton, or another burb to the West? It says Somerville, but that is absolutely not Somerville. In 1970's Somerville was still known as Slumerville/ Scumerville, and the Winter Hill gang still ran the city. Even though Somerville has also become gentrified, there are not any houses or lawns like that.
Thanks for watching. Yes, many people have told me that I've mis labeled that location. Unfortunately, I can't go back and change it. But, on the plus side it gets the conversation going in the comments. Lots of people have great memories of 70s Boston and of the places and people they knew.
I think Sommerville only stopped being Slumerville in like 2004.
Sommerville may have had a nice section, but was far from an affluent suburb.
This film is 1973
It was released in 1973 but filming took place in the fall of 1972 in and around Boston. My early videos were focused on the time and place that was recorded on film so those were the dates I used.
Good video but the background music is too loud and your voice is too soft. Takes a lot of effort to follow your words.
yes, I know, sorry. This was one my first videos and I was learning all the ins and outs of editing and sound. I think I've improved for the better since then.
Not Somerville!
Best Boston Movie.... the only place that was Da Bean is Government Center n North Station Boston Garden. Quincy is not Boston. Sharon is not Boston. Recline is the Quincy Staton. Dedham is not Boston. Look there was only a couple spots that's Boston. I'm 59 born 1962 in Roxbury that's Boston the heart of Boston Ghetto. I know Boston. Born & Raised there n this Movie only showed a couple spots that from Da Bean Dig It??? Oh n Cambridge is mos'def not Boston.
I hardly see any other people of color whom are Black,Brown and Asian in the movie.
Yup, that was pretty weird about it, wasn't it? Boston was a lot less diverse then than it is now -- far fewer Asians and Latinos were present to begin with, and extreme segregation between Blacks and whites.
@@mnewell That's when busing began and the rest was history. I was a sophomore in high school 45 miles away at the time and remember it well.
Yes that was Boston It's been gentrified now. Unfortunately, the old neighborhoods are gone.
Richard Jordan has great chemistry with Mitchum, they teamed up again in 'The Yakuza'.
'The Seven Ups' is a lesser known but very good film in a similar vein from 1973.
I read 'The Friends Of Eddie Coyle', it's amazing they considered filming it, let alone with a British director, as it's one long piece of near impenetrable Boston criminal slang, as are the two other Higgins novels I read, 'The Rat On Fire' & 'Cogan's Trade'. As a Brit who enjoys crime fiction & cinema I still had a hard time understanding what was going on, his novels are like a stream of consciousness performance piece, the nearest thing I've read to them is William Burroughs.
Hi @do br. I'm from East Boston and have a hardcore Boston accent and even I have gotten lost "while reading it". BUT - when I read the dialogue out loud and in the rhythm it's meant to be spoken, it makes much more sense. No wonder Higgins is referred to as the "Bard of Boston"....his dialogue, like Shakespeare, is meant to be recited to be understood :)
@@jpgiuliotti Yes I did find myself reading all the books out loud at times, though it gets quite tiring! I enjoyed your interview with Alex Rocco, thanks a lot for your reply👍
@@dobr4481 Thanks!
This is such a great crime film. I would love the same treatment to the best Baltimore movie Diner. It's set in 1958 but anyone from the Baltimore area who is at least in there 50s can remember people like the characters in the film. Still think it's the best film Barry Levinson has ever made.
Diner is such a good one! That's a perfect film for this format.
@@CinemaCities1978 Honestly, Diner or Tin Men are great films with Baltimore as a major character. I lived very close to where a lot of Tin Men was filmed. One scene in particular was really funny for being so out of context if you knew the actual places. Dreyfuss and Devito get into an argument in a bar and go outside to fight in front of a drive in. It appears seamless but the bar they were in The Westview Lounge was a couple miles away on Route 40 in Catonsville and where they actually came out was the old Westview Cinemas also on Route 40. Both are long since gone so watching Tin Men for me really brings back fond memories of my youth.