The Long Good Friday
Short description
Harold Shand is a London crime boss with ambitions far beyond his current rackets. He wants to move into legitimate property development and has brought American mafia money to the table, hoping to back a plan to turn derelict docklands into an Olympic venue. On the Easter weekend when the deal is meant to be finalised, his organisation is struck by a series of attacks: a car bomb, a killing at a swimming pool, an explosion at a restaurant. Convinced someone close to him has turned, Harold sets out to find whoever is responsible and deal with them, and the violence spreads through the city as he works toward the truth.
The film was directed by John Mackenzie, coming between Shut Down and The Honorary Consul in his filmography, from a screenplay by Barrie Keeffe and produced by Barry Hanson. Bob Hoskins plays Harold, with Helen Mirren as Victoria, Dave King as Parky, Bryan Marshall as Harris, Derek Thompson as Jeff and Eddie Constantine as Charlie. The credited cast runs to 48 names and the credited crew to 45.
It is a British production from HandMade Films, Black Lion Films and Calendar Productions, running 114 minutes. On IMDb it holds 9.2 out of 10 from 14 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.2 out of 10 from 452 votes. A critics' rating of 8.1 out of 10 from 30 reviews places it above the audience score on TMDB but below the small IMDb sample.
What's left behind the scenes
- Pierce Brosnan's role didn’t involve any lines at all, yet he managed to utter a single-word greeting.
- Pierce Brosnan and Bob Hoskins (1942-2014) never worked together on set. Even the scene at the end of the film, where they appear to be sitting next to each other in a car, was filmed with each actor separately.
- The famous final scene of the film was shot first. Director John Mackenzie (1928-2011) was behind the wheel, recounting the film's plot to Bob Hoskins, who was in the passenger seat, while cinematographer Phil Meheux filmed Hoskins' reaction from between them.
- In 1983, three years after the film's release, a sequel was announced, and the opening scene was to be the final scene of this film (Harold Shand's rescue from IRA gunmen). This project never came to fruition.
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