Long ago (in a galaxy far away), I saw this film as a second feature at a Drive Inn (couldn't tell you what the main feature was). We were tired, but we stuck around to see this whole film to the very end. Here I am today, in the midst of watching a film noir of the 50's, still thinking about Nickel Ride. It has a noir feel to it, right down to 'not a happy ending'.
Jason Miller ('Cooper') plays a small-time hood who manages a series of 'empty' warehouses for the 'mob'. He is known as the 'key-man', for the ring of keys (to the warehouses) he totes, and for his ability to make deals on property so that stolen goods can be stored and 'fenced' later. In the neighbourhood, he is friendly and well-regarded as a 'man about town' who looks out for the little guy. After we learn of a crisis in securing new warehouse property, the scene switches, and his associates on the street throw him a party. Now, you have to pay attention.
If you have a clipboard and a pencil, make a mark, once the 'party' begins, every time someone says or does something that shows that Cooper is in trouble. He is losing his 'grip'. Over forty years later, I recall that a small-time hood walks up to Cooper's cake and sticks his finger in the icing, in front of everybody, just to humiliate Cooper. Who would do such a thing, and why? It tells you what Cooper's mob bosses are saying about him, behind his back. Keep making marks - see how many you get before the 'Nickel Ride' is over.
Jan/21 .. wanted to add: another reviewer questioned why the 'mob' would send a middle-weight Turner (Bo Hopkins) to deal with a veteran like Cooper. I pondered that: the truth is, Turner IS expendable. The mob doesn't care if he's sloppy & ends up getting hurt. Cooper does not think highly of him & neither does anyone else. Another subtle element in this screenplay.
This is a slow unfolding of events, allegorically showing what can happen if you try to hang on too long. As the Eagles say, 'The wolf is always at the door...'
Jason Miller ('Cooper') plays a small-time hood who manages a series of 'empty' warehouses for the 'mob'. He is known as the 'key-man', for the ring of keys (to the warehouses) he totes, and for his ability to make deals on property so that stolen goods can be stored and 'fenced' later. In the neighbourhood, he is friendly and well-regarded as a 'man about town' who looks out for the little guy. After we learn of a crisis in securing new warehouse property, the scene switches, and his associates on the street throw him a party. Now, you have to pay attention.
If you have a clipboard and a pencil, make a mark, once the 'party' begins, every time someone says or does something that shows that Cooper is in trouble. He is losing his 'grip'. Over forty years later, I recall that a small-time hood walks up to Cooper's cake and sticks his finger in the icing, in front of everybody, just to humiliate Cooper. Who would do such a thing, and why? It tells you what Cooper's mob bosses are saying about him, behind his back. Keep making marks - see how many you get before the 'Nickel Ride' is over.
Jan/21 .. wanted to add: another reviewer questioned why the 'mob' would send a middle-weight Turner (Bo Hopkins) to deal with a veteran like Cooper. I pondered that: the truth is, Turner IS expendable. The mob doesn't care if he's sloppy & ends up getting hurt. Cooper does not think highly of him & neither does anyone else. Another subtle element in this screenplay.
This is a slow unfolding of events, allegorically showing what can happen if you try to hang on too long. As the Eagles say, 'The wolf is always at the door...'