The Long Good Friday

I was very confused by what was going on for the first fifteen minutes to the point where I almost gave up watching it. Fifteen more minutes and I realize I am supposed to be confused because British gangster going legit Harold (Bob Hoskins) is confused too. Someone is blowing up his establishments and killing his henchmen and he has no idea who or why. And they couldn't have picked a worse time because he has a couple of Americans in town he wants to partner with as he enlarges the legitimate part of his business. So he has to play detective his way - very rough - while the old violent gangster in him begins to reemerge. When I finally get to the part where the tie in between Harold's people and the IRA comes in, my reaction was - WHO???. There have been so many supporting players at that point I didn't even remember who the characters mentioned were. And I could have forgiven all of that because this film does a great job of establishing suspense and being gritty. But what I just cannot buy is that there was anybody in Britain in the late 70s who did not know what the IRA was capable of and believed that as an individual they could defeat these guys when the British army had been trying for decades - actually centuries - and could not manage it. In the timeless words of Clint Eastwood, a man's got to know his limitations. I'd recommend it for Hoskins' and Mirren's acting and for a very young Pierce Brosnan in an almost mute part that visually ties beginning and end together quite well.

When thinking back over the decades of British gangtser films, The Long Good Friday stands out in memory. This is due to the way the story is executed and the way a certain degree of suspense is held throughout. Everything starts off well in this film. We're shown a rather perplexing, confusing but well shot sequence involving several people and a couple of deaths over what seems to be a case of money. We hear nothing of these events until much later in the film, keeping it at the back of our minds and creating a certain shock element when we eventually realise everything that's come together. After the dramatic introduction, everything is toned down slightly as Harold Shand (Hoskins), the man of the film, is introduced to a rather catchy theme tune. His world is also introduced to us through very good use of London iconography as we realise he's rich, got plenty of friends and also has a good looking girl; with his biggest problem seeming to be what nationality to make the chef for his next get-together. With so many faces being introduced and so much pleasurable interaction, the events that follow fuelled by great hate for Harold are rather shocking as they are surprising and that's what really kicks this film off on a good path. What's also good about the film as well as fascinating is that it takes a certain detective route. So many crime and gangster films often use a revenge plot or a hierarchy technique whereas this one, the enemy is unknown and the hierarchy has already been climbed. He's on his own with two or three of his most trusted accomplices attempting to discover what the hell's going on and this is very interesting as we find out what they find out, and at the same time as they do creating a nice, steady, plodding feeling of consistency. As the battles and discoveries occur whilst the film wears on, numerous desperate situations are dragged out in a gritty and entertaining way such as Harold's relationship with his girl that is starting to fall apart amongst the terror and confusion, the personal battle with the American businessmen who foil Harold on several occasions and the question marks that arise over loyalties within his own organisation, as well as disagreements with his crooked policeman colleague and rival gangs. Not only are these scenes and plot points gripping; amusing dialogue and good one-liners from Harold himself help move them along. As the film reaches its final third and Harold gets closer to the truth, the film reminded me of the original 'Get Carter' when Jack realises who's behind it all. Our anti-hero gets more and more angry and each scene gets more and more intense, culminating in pure chaos at a race car track and a monologue of insults at the American's who, up to this point, have had Harold and his outfit rolling over for them. With strong acting performances all round and an impressive, well paced plot; The Long Good Friday has managed to sneak into my personal favourites list and definitely withstands the test of time.

What can I say? 2 hours of class! This is a film which pretty much tells it how it is. The gangster world is not glamour, it's not a world we should dream about being in. This film is gritty and realistic, it's one of the best pictures ever to be released from the U.K. Bob Hoskins is in terrific form here, so damn perfect. Helen Mirren is stunning, great actress and rather eye-catching!!! Pierce Brosnan is hardly in the picture, he was unknown at the time. There are a few faces which you'll recognise, most of them appeared in famous British Television dramas! The film setting is gritty and shows the real London underworld in the early Thatcher years. The direction is confident as is the script, and by the end you'll realise that they had guts! The film score is wonderful, it's always in my head. This film is class!

source: The Long Good Friday

Trailer—The Long Good Friday

The Long Good Friday

The Long Good Friday

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should make it your next rental. It's a gangster movie, and like all gangster movies it stands or falls on the strengths of the lead actor. In this case, we have Bob Hoskins, whose performance is so powerful that it will be the only thing you remember, except for a vague picture of Helen Mirren looking exquisite but uncharacteristically bland. Even as formidable a presence as Mirren's can't stand up to the lunatic intensity of Hoskins' performance. She actually seems to shrink from him, as who would not in this movie? Highly recommended.

This is the quintessential British gangster film, without a doubt. Bob Hoskins plays Harold Shand, a ruthless gangland boss whose empire suddenly starts crumbling before his eyes, over one Easter weekend. Shand goes to extraordinary lengths to find out just who's behind the slaughter, and why. Standout performances from all involved, especially Hoskins as Shand. What makes the film so special is that it's played straight – not for laughs; there are no ‘mockney' accents or wide-boy routines here, just the serious business of bloody revenge. Utterly compelling, I cannot really praise this enough; if you want to see a truly great British gangster film, watch this. Forgot Lock, Stock and the other pretenders, this is still very much the one to watch.

What can I say? 2 hours of class! This is a film which pretty much tells it how it is. The gangster world is not glamour, it's not a world we should dream about being in. This film is gritty and realistic, it's one of the best pictures ever to be released from the U.K. Bob Hoskins is in terrific form here, so damn perfect. Helen Mirren is stunning, great actress and rather eye-catching!!! Pierce Brosnan is hardly in the picture, he was unknown at the time. There are a few faces which you'll recognise, most of them appeared in famous British Television dramas! The film setting is gritty and shows the real London underworld in the early Thatcher years. The direction is confident as is the script, and by the end you'll realise that they had guts! The film score is wonderful, it's always in my head. This film is class!