Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

lucianscombe I have watched this film many, many times and yet it never fails to grip me.It quite simply is one of the finest British films of its genre. It is dark, gritty, witty and beautifully cast.For me the pivotal scene is the ending - sheer brilliance by the late, great Bob Hoskins. He captures Harold Shane's emotions perfectly without a single word. That 60 second scene is perfection!

christopher-underwood I was drawn to watching this again, partly because it was shot just before the whole Thames and Docklands redevelopment began, I'd recently rewatched Helen Mirren in Greenaway's, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover and I had a Blu ray disc. The big surprise was how much I enjoyed the film. I don't remember holding it in much affection but was very impressed, not only with the shots of now disappeared dockland areas, but the way the film unfolds with much tension and constant surprises. The inclusion of references to the IRA ensure that this is not to be some ordinary London gangland film from the start and subsequent explosions keep this from being some petty tale of in fighting. Helen Mirren is exceptional here and very much helps to hold things together. There are some actors here who need steadying and she certainly seems to have great influence, even with Bob Hoskins, who can seem rather flat or alternatively over the top. Here he seems to take his cue from Mirren and gives one of his very best performances - till the very end, don't miss it! As in the Greenaway film, she again plays the gangster's moll although a good deal less trodden down in this one. Well worth watching, this keeps moving with great dialogue and visuals.

Ruairidh MacVeigh This movie is an amazing blend of story and action, and pulls off the amazing feat of having a gangster movie with some real heart and some classic charm that was missing from many similar movies of this period and most movies since. The characters are unforgettable and at the very least relatable, you see them and know their plight as they go through this dark period of time.So what's the bacon? Bob Hoskins plays Harold Shand, a London Gangster who's brought about peace in the Capital's gangster scene. However, on the day he plans to sign a giant East End development project with American investors, his organisation is rocked by the murder of his childhood friend and a bomb blowing up his Rolls Royce. Shand now has the ordeal of tracking down the people attempting to destroy his organisation whilst at the same time keeping it a secret from the Americans.So, the good stuff? All of it if I'm honest. It's got heart, with all the characters being at the very least human, not invincible husks with no personality and no real human traits. Shand isn't invincible, he's simply a man who's built himself up from the gutters of the London slums to become the kingpin of the city, and you can really feel for his emotions and really want him to find a way out all the way through the movie.The story is an absolute cracker, strong, coherent, chocked full of twists and really good fun to sit through. At the same time the film, unlike many of the same period, is surprisingly subtle. There aren't an onslaught of nauseating gun battles, nor is it just continual fist fights with no connection to the plot other than to cram in a load of action. It is a fantastic blend of story and style, which I love to bits!To top it all off as well, the soundtrack, although very simple, is fantastic and absolutely catchy. Bet your bottom dollar that you'll be humming the theme tune to this movie for a week after viewing!What else can I say? The story's great, the characters are great, the music's great, it's grounded, down-to-earth and overall a fantastic movie. One of my all time faves and definitely my favourite gangster flick!

johnklem Life is full of mysteries but one of the more perplexing is the stellar reputation of this film, which regularly finds its way onto any list of best British movies. In doing so, it finds itself in the company of every Powell Pressburger film ever made, a couple of Nic Roeg's efforts and The Third Man to name only a few. This is company in which The Long Good Friday does not belong. At its heart, it's a TV movie, elevated by a good idea for a story and a couple of decent performances from two very fine actors. Visually, the film is flat and uninspired and the characters are not much better developed. It's a tribute to Hoskins and Mirren that neither was tempted to try to add value to their roles as written. The story's potentially good and the structure, a single, long day, has potential but neither is handled adroitly. The story unfolds clumsily and never builds real tension and the director sabotages the structure with an opening sequence that lacks the production values of an early seventies "Saint" episode. I'd guess that The Long Good Friday's reputation rests in part at least on its financial success, particularly here on the other side of the pond.