Friends of Eddie Coyle, The (1973; USA; Colour; 102m) ∗∗∗½ d. Peter Yates; w. Paul Monash; ph. Victor J. Kemper; m. David Grusin. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, Mitchell Ryan, Joe Santos. After his last crime has him looking at a long prison sentence for repeat offenses, a low-level Boston gangster decides to snitch on his friends to avoid jail time. Mitchum is impressive in bleak tale, which features authentic staging of armed robberies and gun-running deals. Relentlessly downbeat and typical of its time. Based on George V. Higgins’s acclaimed novel. [15]