The Friends of Eddie Coyle (DVD)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) starring Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle. Small-time crook Eddie "Fingers" Coyle (Mitchum) is facing jail time, with three kids and a wife waiting at home. It's a time when phones have rotary dials, and no one owns a cell phone or a personal computer, because they haven't been invented yet. All the cars are '60s or '70s models, naturally, because the film was made in 1973. I found the nostalgia angle more engaging than the crime story, which after all is pretty much out of date. Still, Mitchum is a powerful presence on the screen, and the drama of how he tries to avoid serving jail time is interesting to watch. Unfortunately, the finale falls a little flat. Grade: B