The friends of Eddie Coyle (1972)

Eddie Coyle faces prison and looks for a way to trade information for time outside. Higgins lets conversations about guns, favours and routine arrangements reveal how little security these relationships provide. Listen to who needs something, who can delay and who is quietly deciding someone else's value. For sharp dialogue, begin with these unromantic negotiations over criminal work in Boston. The pressure comes from dependence and fear, rather than a clever solution waiting at the end.