- It seemed like Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) had everything all worked out. During his tenure as the de facto head of the London mob scene, Harold put a stop to the gang wars of decades past. In his own inimitable words, "We've all had a badge, and we've all let it swing." He was even preparing to launch a groundbreaking partnership with a group of Americans (a.k.a. "The Yanks"), represented by a mafioso type named Charlie (Eddie Constantine). But that was before Good Friday arrived. Now his friend and longtime accomplice Colin (Paul Freeman), who "never hurt anyone...unless it was necessary", has been found stabbed to death. One of Harold's cars explodes outside of a church, and bombs start showing up in his casinos and restaurants. "Now there's been an eruption!"
- So why is Harold suddenly the target of such a brutal string of attacks? Part of the brilliance of The Long Good Friday is that the audience, like Harold, really has no idea. In the first ten, nearly dialogue-free minutes of the film, we witness several unexplained events. We soon recognize one of these as Colin's murder, but it's not clear who killed him or why. Harold launches his investigation by consulting his own personal police lieutenant (Dave King), who reluctantly points him to a snitch (Paul Barber). When Harold's loyal henchman, the aptly-named "Razors" (P. H. Moriarty), can't squeeze any information from him, however, Harold gets more proactive. In one of the film's more memorable sequences, he collects an entire set of rival gangsters and hangs them from meat hooks to conduct his interrogation. Still no answers. All the while, Harold's girl Victoria (Helen Mirran) and his protege Jeff (Derek Thompson) are tasked with keeping the Americans as far away from the carnage as possible.
- Eventually, Harold connects these assaults to a suspicious trip Colin took to Belfast, just before his death. "What the hell was Colin doing with a Lime'ouse minicab driver in Belfast?" Harold asks. "Colin can't drive," Jeff answers. Not exactly the reply Harold was hoping for. As it happens, Jeff made some bad business decisions the last time Harold was out of town, inadvertently igniting a war with the Irish Republican Army. Of course, Jeff's real sin (and on Good Friday, no less!) was trying to hide it all from Harold, whose reaction to this revelation is the biggest surprise in the film. Now the Americans are leaving town fast, and Harold is stuck trying to negotiate with a group that has made a profession out of conducting a prolonged, bloody war.
- The Long Good Friday is a great, largely underappreciated gangster picture that contains one of the most electrifying film acting performances of all time. Bob Hoskins, who had appeared in a few lesser movies and TV shows prior to this, absolutely explodes onto the screen as Harold Shand. Although his blustering tirades, my favorite of which berates the Americans for needing a "touch of the Dunkirk spirit," are quite striking, Hoskins also brings a great deal of subtlety to this role. The lingering final close-up of Harold's face, for example, allows the actor to communicate understanding, anger, and resignation all without uttering a single word. The film's energetic score, masterful direction, and brilliant writing, the latter of which is peppered with colorful and often confusing lingo, all work in perfect concert to create a truly unique entry into the pantheon of great gangster films. By the time you figure out what has just happened, you'll immediately want to watch it again.
- Pierce Brosnan makes his film debut as an Irish thug.
