Rating: 
Summary: THE BEAST WITHIN
Review: If I'm very enthusiastic about THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, I'm forced to admit that two trailers as extra features don't deserve a loud applause. Even from a Criterion point of view. Anyway, sound and audio are very well treated as always in this collection and I strongly recommend this investment to any movie lover.Hollywood gangsters movies, since the thirties, have described the rise and fall of a great number of Scarface look-alike. Generally, the first third of the movie exposed the hero's childhood and his fights to become the boss, the second third exposed his struggle to stay the boss and the last third his irresistible fall. John Mackenzie chose with THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY to present the last 36 hours of a London mobster. We suppose that he has killed a lot of rivals to become what he is now but that's not the movie's point and Mackenzie hardly gives us any explanation about Bob Hoskins' past. He's the boss since ten years and everything seems allright. He's part of the establishment and cannot understand what's happening when his men are murdered. Apart of the extraordinary performance of Bob Hoskins in an Al Capone role, what's terrific in THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY is the way Mackenzie describes this mobster's ending. Bob Hoskins literally explodes in his taylor made suit, he's a beast which doesn't understand what's going on and becomes enraged. You have to see him committing murder and hear his bestial shout. It's also a movie about morals and ethic. What upsets the most Bob Hoskins, it's not the murders in themselves but the fact that they are committed in front of a church or in a swimming pool. His opponents just don't play by the rules. Shame on them. NB: look for Pierce Brosnan in the role of an irish killer and for the great photography of London. A DVD for your library.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Bob Hoskins
Review: Not much to add to all the justifiably excellent reviews above--except to reiterate the explosive power and vitality of Bob Hoskins. What a terrific actor! Ever since seeing him in THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, I've thought of him as The Great Bob Hoskins. He was born to play the role of Harold Shand. The mute close-ups of his face which close the film are among the greatest pieces of cinema I've ever seen. (I'd LOVE to hear the story of how that scene was filmed, how many takes were necessary, how he psyched himself into it, etc.) It's a pity that most of his subsequent films have given him too little to do.
Rating:
Summary: Gangster Film of the Century ?
Review: Quite simply this film has everything. Bob Hoskins is amazingly good, as are the rest of the cast. The script is gripping and the directing builds the film to its brilliant finale.
Rating:
Summary: Must see high powered and provacative British gangster epic
Review: Talented English director John MacKenzie knew that the English gangster genre needed a good shot in the arm...and he delivered the goods with this tightly scripted and brilliantly acted crime drama. Bob Hoskins is outstanding as London mob boss, Harold Shand...masterminding a major construction development along the river Thames that will nett him, and his American backers, millions of pounds. Shand has everyone on his payroll...politicians, police and enforcers...but then suddenly everything starts to unravel, and Harolds world turns upside down in the space of a day. MacKenzie's film moves with intent and purpose and Barrie O'Keeffe's screenplay keeps the suspense at a finely tuned pitch. A terrific support cast headed by the sulrty Helen Mirren as Harold's wife, Victoria....Derek Thompson as the cowardly, opportunist Jeff....P.H. Moriarty as the aptly named bodyguard "Razors"....and Bryan Marshall as the drunken councillor, Harris, further contribute to the success of this challenging film. Clever use of authentic London locations and creative cinematography lend a further hand to enhance the claustraphobic atmoshpere closing in upon Harold Shand and his crew...the viewer really feels through Hoskins emotional range, the unnerving pressure that is causing him to come apart at the seams. Excellent transfer to DVD...sound and color both superb...it's a pity that Criterion didn't add a few extra goodies that they usually package with their fine presentations. A solidly crafted, gripping film with A grade performances by a splendid English cast...and keep your eyes open for a very youthful Pierce Brosnan in a minor role. FOOTNOTE : MacKenzie also made another powerful movie three years prior in 1979 called "A Sense of Freedom"...based on the true story of Glasgow gangster, Jimmy Boyle, and his life in jail and out. It's a harrowing, gritty prison film that doesn't pull it's punches...unfortunately it's not on video or DVD at present...but hopefully it will return. Another A class crime film !!
Rating:
Summary: The england answer to the Godfather
Review: The clever script allows to build a sollid story. Bob Hoskins surpasses all his performances, past, present or even future. He gave the best performance of his monumental career.
The progressive tension around Hoskins literally overflows the screen and struggles us. That hopeless, that certainless of facing against an enemy of the IRA dimensions and the irreverent mood assumed by Hoskins in that unforgettable dialogue with his american partners lead to a smart and unexpecting ending.
Helen Mirren , combines her talent and amazing beuty and Pierce Brossnan has a little cameo in the end of the movie.
Under any circunstance you can avoid watching this brilliant and even underrated film of the eighties.
A true gem.
Rating:
Summary: "The Mafia? Ha! I'll s**t 'em!"
Review: The prophetic words of Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) a small man with big ideas to revolutionise London's docklands, with a little help and investment from the Mafia. Shand, one of London's leading gangsters, is trying to build up a legitimate business empire, and needs the clout of the cosa nostra to get his project of the ground. But when his investors arrive on Good Friday, what Harold thought would be a day of uninterrupted business dealings turns into a nightmare of carnage where Harold comes up against an enemy threatening to destroy the empire he has built.
The Long Good Friday is a bombastic British gangster movie, full of memorable scenes and dialogue, and a barnstorming central performance from Hoskins. It is a classic tale of betrayal, of the old order of Shand's close knit organisation challenged by a new, ruthlessly efficient adversary, and a perfect comment on Thatcherite imperialism. And it has a pay-off to die for. In the final scene, Hoskins gives one of the best non-speaking performances of all time. Gritty, pessimistic and brutally stunning!
Rating:
Summary: STILL "EXPLOSIVE" AFTER 24 YEARS!
Review: The second best ever Brit gangster movie is a brilliant energy-filled piece. Ritchie's "Lock, Stock..." is fine if you want a jokey gangster film bailed out by lucky coincidences, but this is the real thing, believable and intelligent. What really raises this movie into the stratosphere is the bravura performance by Bob 'Oskins. The much-praised ending is riveting. Surely it's the most dazzling display of an actor's craft to hold in close facial shot for a prolonged time showing a variety of emotions cross the features? Hoskins does this to perfection, showing (at least) disbelief, anger, realization, fear, grim amusement and acceptance over a 90 second period, all the while set to pounding soundtrack and flickering lighting from passing streetlamps. If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and buy the excellent DVD which also has some neat features.
Rating:
Summary: STILL "EXPLOSIVE" AFTER 24 YEARS!
Review: The second best ever Brit gangster movie is a brilliant energy-filled piece. Ritchie's "Lock, Stock..." is fine if you want a jokey gangster film bailed out by lucky coincidences, but this is the real thing, believable and intelligent. What really raises this movie into the stratosphere is the bravura performance by Bob 'Oskins. The much-praised ending is riveting. Surely it's the most dazzling display of an actor's craft to hold in close facial shot for a prolonged time showing a variety of emotions cross the features? Hoskins does this to perfection, showing (at least) disbelief, anger, realization, fear, grim amusement and acceptance over a 90 second period, all the while set to pounding soundtrack and flickering lighting from passing streetlamps. If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and buy the excellent DVD which also has some neat features.
Rating: 
Summary: Death in Menace
Review: This film made me very uncomfortable when I watched it on it's original release, which is probably why I didn't watch it again until it came out on DVD, when it once again left me feeling uneasy. I don't know if it's the idea of the IRA bombing London pubs which is too close to home, or maybe the fact that the likeable cockney gangland boss is also capable of killing someone with his bare hands in a fit of rage. Either way, it is nevertheless a brilliant film; however I cannot agree with it's description as the best ever British gangster film, for me that will always be "Get Carter". That said, there are many parallels between the two films, the most obvious being that they both visually document an area of England immediately prior to it's re-development. In the case of "Get Carter" it is the city of Newcastle. In "The Long Good Friday" it is the London Docklands. Harold Shand's ideas for redevelopment, although essentially criminal, are a precursor to the actual renovations that would see redundant wharves transformed into riverside apartments for the upwardly mobile eighties professional. He has a real desire to use Mafia money to bring some culture into the area..."A little bit more than a hot dog...Know what I mean?". Arguably the most famous scene is the five minute closing shot which starts at the Savoy Hotel and fades into the end credits leaving the viewer to ponder on the film's conclusion. The Non-Anamorphic picture on the Criterion DVD is nontheless excellent. The soundtrack is mono and very eighties; No commentary and no extras apart fom the Theatrical trailers.
Rating:
Summary: Harold's dilema
Review: This film possibly deserves to be in the one of the best gangster movies made club. If your collection includes Godfather 1&2, Scarface,Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction then this movie is for you. ( you sick person !) Filmed in London with advice from genuine East End Crims on how they would handle various situations, this film follows the last 36 hours of Harlod Shand as the provisional IRA decide to get even. The only problem is Harold does not know who is having a go at him or why. Don't expect fancy special effects etc, this is a movie that is made in the real world and hits the spot. I love the scene when Harold is walking through Heathrow Airport. Harold's right hand man Razors is just brilliant and the performance by Bob Hoskins as Harold is unforgetable. Some of the verbal is brilliant ! For sure this is one for the collection !
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