The Nickel Ride
| The Nickel Ride | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Mulligan |
| Written by | Eric Roth |
| Produced by | David Foster Robert Mulligan Lawrence Turman |
| Starring | Jason Miller |
| Cinematography | Jordan Cronenweth |
| Edited by | O. Nicholas Brown |
| Music by | Dave Grusin |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.4 million[1] |
The Nickel Ride is a 1974 American crime film directed by Robert Mulligan. It was entered into the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.[2] On December 13, 2011 Shout! Factory released the film on DVD as part of a double feature with 99 and 44/100% Dead.
Plot
Working for a local crime boss, the "key-man" known as Cooper (Jason Miller) runs a set of warehouses in Los Angeles. Just as he is about to close a deal that will net them a whole block of L.A. turf, problems arise. As he continues to talk to the police and has a relationship with a young woman (Linda Haynes), Cooper's pals wonder if he is planning to reveal other things about their plans. Trouble is afoot.
Cast
- Jason Miller as Cooper
- Linda Haynes as Sarah
- Victor French as Paddie
- John Hillerman as Carl
- Bo Hopkins as Turner
- Richard Evans as Bobby
- Bart Burns as Elias
- Lou Frizzell as Paulie
- Mark Gordon as Tonozzi
- Harvey Gold as Chester
- Lee de Broux as Harry
- Nelson Leigh (uncredited)
Awards
- Nominee Palme d'Or - 1974 Cannes Film Festival (Robert Mulligan)
Reception
Nora Sayre of The New York Times was not impressed:
The movie appears to be a drama of real estate. Jason Miller plays a neighborhood fixer who is attempting to lease a warehouse for the storage of stolen goods; however, the deal is delayed, and he's threatened by the minor hoods who are his clients. His role is a study in worry: the angst rarely leaves his deep-set lemur's eyes. We watch him worrying in profile, in full and three-quarter face, standing or sitting or lying down, in daylight and darkness, on the phone, in his office and out of doors. All in all, he seems more vulnerable to an anxiety attack than to an assailant's bullet. ...The Nickel Ride is handsomely filmed in bleak pastels, but the numerous close-ups manage to stress the slowness of the action, and quick cuts can't dispel the tedium.[3]
Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice was slightly more forgiving: "The Nickel Ride is a seldom-seen drama of white-collar workaday criminal drudgery to make you believe the best of '70s cinema will never fully be quarried out. ...The atmosphere is one of musty hallways, sour stomach, and looming late middle age with no retirement plan in sight."[4]
See also
References
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p258
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Nickel Ride". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ Nora Sayre, "Cliches Trail 'The Nickel Ride': Jason Miller Has Lead in Real-Estate Drama Role as a Fixer Proves a Study in Worry" Jan. 30, 1975 http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D02E4DA153AE034BC4850DFB766838E669EDE
- ^ Nick Pinkerton, "Films of Robert Mulligan at Walter Reade" Mar. 18, 2009 http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-03-18/film/the-films-of-robert-mulligan-at-walter-reade/