Monday, January 10, 2011

Peter Yates (1929-2011)

The British-American director Peter Yates, who died yesterday at the age of 81, will probably be best remembered for the seminal cop and car-chase film Bullitt , one of Steve McQueen's definitive roles, or for his bicycle drama Breaking Away from about a decade later. Rather than write more about his career here, I'll just direct you to my favorite among his movies, the gritty proto-Tarantinian crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1972), a remarkably faithful adaptation of the George V. Higgins novel that has enjoyed a revival of esteem thanks to a recent Criterion DVD release. It's one of the best American crime films from a great decade for the genre, and it may lead to a greater appreciation of Yates's work if more people discover it now.
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3 comments:

  1. GarryJanuary 10, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    What a loss......He was the man!

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  2. venoms5January 10, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    I'm partial to KRULL myself. Love that one.

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  3. dfordoomJanuary 12, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    Loved Bullitt. I'd love to see The Friends of Eddie Coyle but I'll have to save up for that one. I hate it when great movies get released by Criterion.

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