The Long Good Friday (1982)

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  May 9, 2012

  moonrivers

  Well deserving of its many accolades, Friday is one cheery holiday weekend with Brit crimelord Bob Hoskins (in a juggernaut performance worthy of all the gangster greats) as his world crumbles all around him. Helen Mirren lends able support (one of the best I've seen her in) and... read more Pierce Brosnan also makes a brief appearance. Great writing showcases this 1981 thrill ride.

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  April 19, 2012

  flixsterman

  Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and a kick-ass ending.

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  February 10, 2011

  matertenebraum

  At the time of writing this, I've just been thoroughly impressed by a rare British TV screening of 'The Long Good Friday', a gripping, bleak and uncompromising study of a supposedly untouchable underworld kingpin whose organization collapses around his ears when a mystery adversa... read morery begins murdering his colleagues and blowing up his favourite haunts. Bob Hoskins is just incredible in this film. His performance sears the screen with its burning intensity. His character is undoubtedly a vile individual, but Hoskins employs so much depth and subtlety in his portrayal we actually find ourselves caring for him. The much-remarked-on final sequence is an absolute tour-de-force that takes your breath away. Doubtful whether any current director (let alone any current actor) would have the guts to even attempt something like that. Hoskins makes it all look so easy, the mark of a true professional. Be warned, however, that this is not a film for the faint-hearted, and the squeamish will most certainly wince more than once. The direction, editing, photography, soundtrack and acting are all top-notch, displaying a rare degree of outright quality that the British film industry rarely seems able to muster, for one reason or another. There's also some degree of fun to be had from spotting the familiar faces in the supporting cast - 'Charlie Fairhead' from Casualty, 'Denzil' from Only Fools and Horses, 'Terry' from Fawlty Towers, a couple of the sadistic warders from Alan Clarke's brutal borstal flick 'Scum' and a young Gillian Taylforth of Eastenders fame. I have one final comment to make regarding this movie. Guy Ritchie should be forced to watch this at least fifteen times in a row, in the vain hope that it teaches him something about the genre he idolizes but seems unable to make a decent job of depicting. Watch and learn, all you young 'mockney' pretenders, this film is the work of the masters.

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  April 12, 2010

  mumby1988

  The Long Good Friday is part of a fascinating breed of films which are simultaneously of their time and completely ahead of the curve. It is the near-perfect marriage of the crime thriller conventions of the 1970s, as pioneered by Get Carter and The French Connection, with an ent... read moreicing political subtext about the 'Me Generation' and the government of Margaret Thatcher. It's hard to watch it thirty-one years on without it seeming prophetic in terms of the political and social change which swept through Britain in the 1980s. But neither has its lost any of the charm or shock value which made it such a hit the first time round.
  
  The comparison with Get Carter is more than justified, since it is probably fair to say that without Mike Hodges' powerful film, The Long Good Friday would not exist. Both films are low-budget, gritty crime thrillers which are carried by the riveting performances of their respective leads, Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins. Both in lesser hands would have been nuts-and-bolts revenge movies, but they survive thanks to the quality of their scripts and the relevance of their substance.
  
  What they also share, more unfortunately, is a slow and incoherent opening. The first 20 minutes introduce us to a whole host of characters in a very disparate fashion, something which is only partly accidental. Director John Mackenzie had always intended the initial scenes to be distracting, to make the world of Harold Shand appear more complex. He originally envisaged a very ambitious opening, with location shots following the briefcase of money over the Alps, but producer Barry Henson thought this detracted from the film's focus on London. All the threads are eventually tied up, but even in its existing form the opening is too long, to the point at which you consider giving up.
  
  Things pick up permanently however, with the first sight of Shand, played by Bob Hoskins. The opening shot of him striding through Heathrow airport, backed by Francis Monkman's brilliant soundtrack, perfectly captures the confidence and arrogance of the man with the whole of London at his feet. This is a man who has kept the peace for ten years through influence and intimidation, even when his underlings were "out of order". It's a well-judged and ironic introduction, since this is the happiest we will ever see the character be.
  
  The character of Harold Shand conveys the central theme of the film, namely the decline and fall of an empire through a potent mix of outside pressure and personal tragedy. As in Shakespeare's King Lear, we first see the kingdom (or 'corporation') in good health, with the deal with America standing in for Lear dividing his kingdom among his daughters. Shand is Lear-like in that he is so self-confident, so certain that he is right, that he is blind to where his real enemies lie; and much like Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now, everything makes sense only when it is too late.
  
  Within this there are two separate subtexts. The more obvious of these is the threat of the IRA, in particular to the traditional structures of crime. The original title of Barry Keefe's screenplay was 'The Paddy Factor', and the film's eventual title refers not refers not just to the period of time which passes, but in a twisted way to the shadow the IRA casts -- 'the long Good Friday' could be a synonym for the Troubles or 'long war'. What The Long Good Friday does so well is to explore the nature of this organisation and show how its existence is a very real threat to the existing order. Many films about the Northern Irish conflict, like Michael Collins, have kept the war at arms' length from Britain, portraying the IRA as 'them lot over there'. Here they are not distant warriors but cunning infiltrators, an enemy which neither the police nor the criminal underworld can understand, let along contain.
  
  The other, more unintentional undercurrent is about the resurgence of free-market capitalism and the legacy of Thatcher. Shand refers to his empire as 'the corporation' rather than any kind of 'gang', and the film draws an analogy between the dismantling of socialism and the violent takeover of London, both by Shand and the IRA. When Shand delivers his big speeches at either end of the film, they are conveyed with maximum irony; he exudes that very 1980s mix of endearing ambition and selective xenophobia, both of which are smashed in the final scene. Subsequent films like Wall Street and American Psycho have handled 1980s greed in more upfront ways, but both lack the sense of self-reflexive subtlety at the heart of this film.
  
  Much like American Psycho, The Long Good Friday also has a very real sense of humour. The script is gritty and intense but has a succession of corking one-liners which consolidate the dark setting while humanising the characters. Most of these are Shand's lines, and Hoskins delivers them brilliantly in what is still his finest performance. While on the top deck of his yacht waiting for Charlie to arrive, he remarks that "the Yanks love snobbery. They feel they've really arrived in England if the upper classes treat 'em like shit." Later, finding out about the car bomb, he exclaims: "You can't go crucifying people outside a church, not on Good Friday!" -- a line which really captures the mood of the whole film.
  
  She may not have as many killer lines as Hoskins, but Helen Mirren's performance as Victoria is every bit as captivating. Her character is the brains and dignity to Harold's muscle and rough, hands-on style. The power he possesses is a natural aphrodisiac, and yet she is not simply an air-headed bimbo who constantly requires his aid. At several key moments her intelligence saves his life, and yet she remains as vulnerable as anyone on screen.
  
  The film is also visceral and incredibly violent at times. In the first half hour we have a car bomb and a man being stabbed in a shower by a very young Pearce Brosnan (his first film). Later we have a man being literally crucified and nailed to a floor, and Hoskins smashing in a young man's neck with a bottle. But despite these outbursts, The Long Good Friday is not a film which relies on the violence to do the hard work, either by making us enjoy it or using it to pad out the plot. Its best scenes are those which are dialogue-heavy, in which egos clash and the sparks come not from the guns but from the level of tension hardwired into the script.
  
  The Long Good Friday is a near-perfect gangster film which looks more prophetic and intelligent with every viewing. It is a great slice of late-1970s cinema which together with Life of Brian helped to establish Handmade Films as a great low-budget film company. Despite the slow opening and the occasional scene which now seems clichéd, it follows through with its ideas and intentions, giving us plenty to chew on while we take in this dark world. It has survived all subsequent imitations, right down to the worst work of Guy Ritchie, and its influence is assured for the next thirty years. When all other British crime films let you down, this is where you should turn.

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  December 15, 2009

  pier007

  Hard-hitting and brutal. Only second to "get carter" in the podium of the best british gangster films. The short but fierce bulldog-like figure of Bob Hoskins is an ideal anti-hero.

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  September 22, 2009

  SirPant

  A classic British gangster film with the brilliant Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Brilliant.

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  May 31, 2008

  DrBenway

  Part Edward G. Robinson caricature, part bulldog, Hoskins comes through with a performance which has remained unequalled in its genre despite the excess of gangster sagas from both sides of the pond. Playing the unchallenged gangster kingpin in London, he is like a dinosaur una... read moreble to adapt to the changes in climate when going up against the IRA.
  
  Helen Mirren transforms the "gangster moll" into a confident character in the violent gangland tale set over the course of a Good Friday weekend.
  

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  March 21, 2008

  YLOWBSTARDreturns

  Stellar British crime film. One of My All-Time favorites.

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  March 13, 2008

  kenstachnik

  British Godfather and Michael Mann's playbook

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  July 23, 2007

  76Majikat

  I somehow lost my concentration in parts of the story, but overall I found it a watchable film. The highlight perhaps was recognising some of the characters as British actors who have gone on to play household names in tv. Bob Hoskins himself has a great face to play a gangster... read more and seeing a youuger Helen Miran was quite funny

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• Bob Hoskins as Harold Shand
• Helen Mirren as Victoria
• Dave King as Parky
• Bryan Marshall as Harris
• Derek Thompson as Jeff Hughes
• Eddie Constantine as Charlie
• Brian Hall as Alan
• Pierce Brosnan as 1st Irishman
• Stephen Davies as Tony

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  McVicar (100%)

• • Harold Shand: I'm not a politician; I'm a businessman, with a sense of history; and I'm also a Londoner. And today is a day of great historical significance for London. Our country's not an island any more. We're a leading European state. And I believe this is the decade London will become Europe's capital.
• • Harold Shand: Who's having a go at me? Can you think of anyone who might have an old score to settle or something?
  • Razors: Who's big enough to take you on?
  • Harold Shand: Well, there was a few.
  • Razors: Like who?
  • Harold Shand: [thinks for a second] ...Yeah. They're all dead.
• • Harold Shand: Alan found him dying. He'd been nailed to the floor.
  • Jeff Hughes: When was this, then?
  • Harold Shand: Well, it must've been just after you saw him and just before Alan saw him. Otherwise, you'd have noticed, wouldn't you? I mean, a geezer nailed to the floor. A man of your education would definitely have spotted that, wouldn't he?
• • Erroll: Is something up with him [Eric], then?
  • Harold Shand: Well, let's put it this way. Apart from his arsehole being about fifty yards away from his brains, and the choirboys playing 'hunt the thimble' with the rest of him, he ain't too 'appy.
• • Harold Shand: I'm setting up the biggest deal in Europe with the hardest organization since Hitler stuck a swastika on his jockstrap.
• • Charlie: We don't deal with gangsters. Period.

• What was the name of the character played by Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday?  Answer »
• Who was the well known actor who played a man in the IRA and was last seen pointing a gun at Bob Hoskins in the back of a car in the film The Long Good Friday?  Answer »
• Which movie dose this phras come from "Cut him Razor"  Answer »
• Which Movie about the IRA hunting down a London mob boss starred Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirrin, and Pierce Brosnan in the 80s  Answer »

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