Review of The Long Good Friday (1980) by Scott M — 10 Feb 2011

Bob Hoskins is Harold Shand, a British mob boss trying to go legit with a land development deal backed by American interests. But on Good Friday, someone stabs his best friend at the swimming pool, nearly car-bombs his mother while she's at church, and tries to blow up his casino with a suitcase bomb. Despite the peace they've had for years, Shand ruthlessly tears the London underworld apart to find those responsible, but soon realizes he's up against a new criminal power he can't withstand.

British gangster films always have a seedier feel than their American counterparts. Compare the glamour of The Godfather or Casino to Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, for example. This is true of The Long Good Friday, as well: Shand wants to be a big and important man, but his actions reveal him to be a small-time thug up against bigger and better organized enemies.

It's interesting seeing London as it was in the late 1970s, when the Docklands were still derelict, before Canary Wharf and the gentrification of areas like St. Katharine's Docks (where Shand keeps his yacht) or Shad Thames. Hoskins is excellent as the seedy Shand, as is Helen Mirren as his girlfriend Victoria, the voice of reason when Shand's temper flares hot. Look out for a brief, non-speaking appearance by a very young Pierce Brosnan in his first movie role.

The Long Good Friday is the sort of film the brothers Coen would start to make a few years later: a noir-ish crime story about a deal gone sour that walks the razor's edge between serious drama and black comedy. If you're accustomed to American gangster fare such as The Godfather saga or Scorsese's films, check this one out for a change of pace.