Thursday, 13 June 2013

The Long Good Friday (1980)


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

The Long Good Friday (1980) -- J. Mackenzie

Easily my favorite British gangster film, driven by a powerhouse performance by Bob Hoskins and an amazing propulsive score by Francis Monkman.  Hoskins is the leader of a "corporation" that is seeking to bring the Olympics to London (in 1988) and do a multimillion pound development of the docklands area.  On Good Friday, he meets with his potential American business partner (played by Alphaville's Eddie Constantine) to seal the deal. However, all hell breaks loose, as bombs explode and Hoskins' associates are murdered.  He is being done over and he doesn't know by whom -- the movie unfolds as a good mystery should, only gradually revealing the brutal truth. The score, the editing, and the intermittent violence help to ratchet up the tension which shows in the emotional performances by Hoskins and his moll Helen Mirren.  Highly recommended. 


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