CrimeThrillerDramaMystery

The Long Good Friday

- Who lit the fuse that tore Harold's world apart?

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

Release Date : 1980-11-01

Language :FrenchEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Calendar ProductionsHandmade FilmsBlack Lion Films

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Harold Shand

Original Name : Bob Hoskins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Victoria

Original Name : Helen Mirren

Gender : Female

Character Name : Parky

Original Name : Dave King

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harris

Original Name : Bryan Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jeff

Original Name : Derek Thompson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charlie

Original Name : Eddie Constantine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colin

Original Name : Paul Freeman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Razors

Original Name : P.H. Moriarty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jack

Original Name : Alan Ford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tony

Original Name : Stephen Davies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Erroll

Original Name : Paul Barber

Gender : Male

Character Name : David

Original Name : Karl Howman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Billy

Original Name : Nick Stringer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alan

Original Name : Brian Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ginger

Original Name : Paul Kember

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carol Benson

Original Name : Patti Love

Gender : Female

Character Name : Phil

Original Name : Leo Dolan

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Irishman

Original Name : Pierce Brosnan

Gender : Male

Character Name : 2nd Irishman

Original Name : Daragh O'Malley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Irish Youth

Original Name : Kevin McNally

Gender : Male

Character Name : O'Flaherty

Original Name : Tony Rohr

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harold's Mother

Original Name : Ruby Head

Gender : Female

Character Name : Eric

Original Name : Charles Cork

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chef

Original Name : Olivier Pierre

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mac

Original Name : Bruce Alexander

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boston

Original Name : Bill Moody

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kid

Original Name : Dexter Fletcher

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boy Under Car

Original Name : Trevor Laird

Gender : Male

Character Name : Don

Original Name : Dave Ould

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dave

Original Name : Nigel Humphreys

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pool Attendant

Original Name : Brian Hayes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Priest

Original Name : Alan Devlin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dora

Original Name : Pauline Melville

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lil

Original Name : Mary Sheen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eugene

Original Name : Georgie Phillips

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peter

Original Name : Billy Cornelius

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sherry

Original Name : Gillian Taylforth

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jimmy

Original Name : Rob Walker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flynn

Original Name : Robert Hamilton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Commissionaire

Original Name : James Ottaway

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waiter

Original Name : Michael Ryan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain Death

Original Name : Roy Alon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Harry Fielder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Snipist (uncredited)

Original Name : Alan Talbot

Gender : Male

Character Name : Driver Hitman (uncredited)

Original Name : Tony Clarkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Man in Pub (uncredited)

Original Name : Peter McNamara

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boat Party Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Jill Goldston

Gender : Female

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

It's not about safety, it's about honour. It's the early 1980s, it's Good Friday, and Harold Shand is waiting to entertain some powerful American muscle. He hopes to get them to help fund his dockside development, but someone is murdering his men, and although Harold has a good idea who is responsible, he isn't quite prepared for the events that follow. Plot wise, The Long Good Friday is a lesson in under taxing the audience, simplicity in structure and forgoing thunder in the name of telling a solid story. The Long Good Friday is a British gangster picture that owes more to the Paul Muni and Edward G Robinson pictures from the golden age than something like "The Godfather". Where the characters are men of the street, working class villains who literally could be living around the corner from us, their respective antics giving them a reputation as infamous stars to be feared - and grudgingly admired. What many modern day film lovers may not be aware of is that "The Long Good Friday" had its release delayed, held back a year as Margaret Thatcher and her merry men frothed at the mouth due to the film's portrayal of the Irish Rebublican Army. This was at a time when the Irish troubles were reaching new and terrifying heights, and here in this film, the government sensed a fall out that could have sent wrong message shock waves across the British Isles. This is one of the chief reasons that lifts the pic high above many of its contemporaries, it may be a simple story, but it's not merely about two gangs striving for power on one manor!. Barrie Keeffe's script positively bristles with a hard bastard edge, some of the set pieces play out as true Brirtish greats, once viewed they are not to be forgotten. Some of the dialogue has an air of timeless bravado about it, delivered with cockney brashness from Bob Hoskins' Harold Shand. Hoskins is on fire, seemingly revelling in the role and fusing menace with a genuine sense of earthiness, one moment Harold is the bloke you want to have a pint of beer with, the next he's one step from rage induced retribution. Helen Mirren is fabulous as Harold's wife, Victoria, loyal and unerringly calm in the face of the madness unfolding, while the supporting cast are also highly effective, with a cameo from Pierce Brosnan that is icy cold in making a point. Perhaps now it feels like it's only of its time, and it may well be that it's only British viewers of a certain age that can readily embrace the all encompassing thread of gangland London at risk from insurgents? But I will be damned should I ever choose to love this film less with each passing year, for to me it only just stops shy of being a British masterpiece, bristling with realism at a troubled time, and cheesing off Margaret Thatcher in the process, hell it works for me, always. 9/10

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-04-28

"Harold" (Bob Hoskins) has spent the last ten years building up a business of the back off criminal enterprises and is about to try to go straight with an hude dockside development he hopes to sell on to some Americans. They've arrived in London and he is all set to wine and dine them to seal the deal when things start going quite spectacularly wrong. His best pal "Colin" (Paul Freeman) is killed after seeking a quickie in the local swimming baths and one of his pubs suffers from what they conveniently describe as a "gas leak". He knows that someone is trying to queer his pitch, and that probably points to an insider. Girlfriend "Victoria" (Helen Mirren)? Ambitious sidekick "Jeff" (Derek Thompson) or maybe enforcer "Harris" (Bryan Marshall)? Well "Harold" has to mobilise his entire organisation if he's to salvage what he's got already let alone do any kind of deal with his already sceptical potential business partners. I don't think you could ever describe Hoskins as a versatile actor, but here he carries off the role as the increasingly bewildered gangster with skill and director John Mackenzie keeps the pace moving along well as we all try to guess just who's trying to bring his empire crashing down. Mirren isn't really on screen often enough to make much difference, but eagle-eyed folks might spot Pierce Brosnan and Karl Howman making up the numbers as the Irish continent who appear to be more complicit in the shenanigans. It hasn't aged terribly well but is still a solid drama with plenty of threat and thankfully, precisely no romance at all!