Safe Return Doubtful

1973 starring Robert Mitchum

I’ll start by saying that if this is of interest, I’d urge to read the book first, by George V Higgins, it is excellent. Elmore Leonard calls it the best crime novel ever written..

But the film is well worth the effort also, with a wonderful performance from Mitchum. It’s a character piece, so his performance as Eddie Coyle is crucial, and he pulls it off brilliantly, not overdoing the part, which the is the temptation to do.

This is a gritty crime drama set in 1970s working class Boston. The title is very tongue-in-cheek, as Eddie doesn’t have any friends. He falls foul of the law, but in order to get a reduced sentence is quite happy to rat out his criminal associates.

It’s one of those film noirs that tries not to be a noir, but certainly is.

Interestingly also, it has a British Director, Peter Yates, who has a varied back catalogue, including Summer Holiday, Bullitt, and Breaking Away.

IMDb score 7.4 / 10 – My score 8 / 10