The Long Good Friday (1980)

British Gangster Movie #3

Synopsis: Likeable Cockney crime boss has a really bad day.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “The shadowy world of the racketeer is violent and unforgiving. The man at the top is alone with his power. Harold Shand is such a man.”

What Did I Learn?: Ripping off a terrorist organization for 5 grand is a really bad idea; vowing to annihilate the terrorists after they (understandably) get upset about it is monumentally stupid.

You Might Like This Movie If: You really want to see the film that made Bob Hoskins a star, and allowed him to take bigger, and better roles.

Really?: 1) See: “What Did I Learn?”.... I realize Harold has good reasons to be really, really angry, but first and foremost, he’s a businessman, and he must realize that attempting to wipe out the IRA is a fool’s errand. 2) You know, I really didn’t need to see 5-10 seconds of Bob Hoskins taking a shower.

Rating: The Long Good Friday is a well-written, and superbly acted crime drama featuring a tour-de-force performance from Bob Hoskins (this was his breakout role) and a memorable musical score by Francis Monkman. Oh – watch for Pierce Brosnan in a small, way-before-he-was-famous part. Highly recommended. 10/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081070/?ref_=nv_sr_1