The Friends of Eddie Coyle

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a 1973 American neo-noir crime drama film directed by Peter Yates, adapted by Paul Monash (who also produced) from the 1970 novel by George V. Higgins. It stars Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, and Richard Jordan. The film tells the story of Eddie Coyle (Mitchum), a small-time career hoodlum in the Irish mob in Boston, Massachusetts. The title is purely ironic: Eddie has no friends. The plot is inspired by the real-life Winter Hill Gang. While critical reception was positive, with particular praise for Mitchum's performance, the movie was not popular with filmgoers and failed to rank in the top 30 either in 1973 (when it was released mid-year) or 1974 and failed to recoup its budget in combined box office.