In the 1970s, the great Robert Mitchum made a number of thriller movies during this period (one which I consider to be another golden age for the genre, IMHO). Which of them do you think was the best? Tell me!
I say THE YAKUZA (1975), but 1973’s FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE runs it close…
The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a masterpiece in miniature, and the others, I’m afraid, don’t even come close.
Both of those are excellent! I prefer The Yakuza of the two, but he’s also good in Farewell, My Lovely (1975) and The Big Sleep (1978) if you’re into his Philip Marlowe phase, which I happen to prefer to Bogart’s. Mitch is cool where Bogart is sleazy.
We could surely swap a good deal of love over Mitchum! One of my all-time top five actors!
Yep, Eddie Coyle was on a different level than the others, IMO.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle has long been one of my favorites. Against this list it stays at the top.
I didn’t realize this was a poll when I posted before. I voted for The Yakuza.
I saw the Mitchum version of The Big Sleep a few months ago for the first time, and I thought it was pretty disappointing. It didn’t help that the actress that played Camilla was so far out of her league compared to the rest of the cast that it was painful to watch. It’s pretty hard to get out-acted by Joan Collins.
I didn’t vote, couldn’t. Any Mitchum movie, all I can do is admire his beauty. Couldn’t even tell you what any of his movies were about. The man had presence.
Now I’m all flustered.
I do know what you mean. One of my very first threads here asked the question: Who will they get to play Mitchum? Didn’t get a whole lot of action back then, or even earlier this year when I tried to revive it here.
I think it’s still a good question.
Interesting to see that FOEC is the preferred choice here, and I agree that it’s a pretty cool film. Don’t any of you be in any doubt about that. However, I feel that THE YAKUZA is a more original film than FOEC, and it tries to be something more than your usual thriller movie – and succeeds at that magnificently. That it is set and shot in Japan (a country I admire greatly) only adds to my enjoyment, and that’s why THE YAKUZA is at the top of the list for me!
The Amsterdam Kill and The Big Sleep are amongst the worst of Mitchum’s movies. The Friends of Eddy Coyle is cool because all the dialogue is straight out of the George V Higgins novel.
Put me down for FOEC as well. I saw Farewell My Lovely years ago and liked it, but when I rewatched it recently I was amazed at how little it had to do with Chandler’s novel. (Starting with Marlowe giving a crap about Joe DiMaggio.) The Big Sleep I simply refuse to watch — Marlowe in England?!
Bogart.
