Change of Plan

Part Four of my examination of the action/suspense scenes in Peter Yates's The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) didn't shape up quite as I had hoped, so—with a little tweaking to Part One and a more substantial addition to Part Three—I'm concluding my analysis. For the links, see my three previous posts or the sidebar on the left headed "Essays, Reviews, etc."

One thing this exercise has taught me—no, make that reminded me of—is how close readings of individual films can lead you in all sorts of directions, often unexpected ones. Perhaps someday I'll rework and expand what I've written into a small book along the lines of those in the British Film Institute's "Film Classics" series. I'm sure my millions of readers can't wait!

The 'Coyle' Analysis Continues

Part Three of my deep dig into the action/suspense scenes of The Friends of Eddie Coyle can be found here. There will be a Part Four—and that should do it. Then I'll have to find something else to occupy my time during this period of "sheltering in place." Catching up on some old movies I haven't yet seen sounds like a good option.

P.S. Take precautions and stay safe, everyone.

My Latest on 'Eddie Coyle'

For Part Two of my examination of some key suspense scenes in Peter Yates's The Friends of Eddie Coyle, click here.

There will be a Part Three (and maybe a Part Four), but that's still a work in progress.

Revisiting 'Eddie Coyle'

No one, so far as I'm aware, has tried to make a case that the British-born director Peter Yates (1929–2011) was an auteur. His career was a bit too spotty (with too many low spots), and I think you'd be hard pressed to find much thematic unity in it. But he could make a good movie when he had good material to work with. He was best known for the Steve McQueen detective thriller Bullitt (1968), which at the very least set a new standard for car chases on film. And Breaking Away (1979), for which he received as Oscar nomination, was an enjoyable coming-of-age comedy that cast a charmingly affectionate eye on the American heartland. (A second nomination came just four years later for The Dresser, a film I've yet to see.)

But Yates really struck gold—in my humble opinion anyway—in 1973 with The Friends of Eddie Coyle, a Boston-set crime drama that gave Robert Mitchum one of his best roles. Mitchum's performance and those of his costars have been much praised, but when I revisited the movie recently, I was equally struck by Yates's adroit handling of its suspense/action sequences, which seemed like good candidates for some detailed formal analysis. My efforts to provide that are still in progress, but you can read Part One here. Hopefully, I'll be posting Part Two soon.