I was mostly a casual viewer of the Siskel & Ebert review show, and even at the time it seemed like too brief of a way to give any sort of meaningful opinion, but a segment that stuck with me was one about the ’70s crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle not being released on VHS. Siskel was, I believe, especially upset that this movie was unavailable. In those days Siskel absolutely seemed like the more trustworthy one, to me anyway. With that interesting title filed away and a self-reminder that Robert Mitchum was the film’s lead, I made it a point to keep an eye out during my usual scouring of the television listings. Either late at night on the local Fox affiliate or maybe buried in an early morning TBS time slot, I can’t remember now, it showed up and I recorded it. The impression it made wasn’t as substantial as the hunt to find it had been, probably because I didn’t really appreciate how the film strays from the expected, but I’ve been anxious to see it again for years.

News came a few months ago that it was finally being made available on DVD, and by no less than the Criterion Collection. I’d heard a rumor to that effect, but the confirmation was a relief. Now I’ve watched it and gone through everything, and put up a review at DVD Times. Instead of analyzing the film based on some of its more self-contained aspects, I went for a somewhat bulletpointed appreciation that focuses on Mitchum, director Peter Yates, and how The Friends of Eddie Coyle is sort of a ’70s version of film noir. I would’ve actually liked to have written more probably, but there’s only so much time and patience you can expect people to have. If you’re not familiar with the film, though, definitely give it a look, and I’d recommend the Criterion edition without hesitation.