The Long Good Friday
1980
**½
Director: John MacKenzie
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Eddie Constantine, Paul Freeman, P. H. Moriarty, Stephen Davies, Brian Hall, Alan Ford, Paul Barber, Patti Love, Karl Howman, Pierce Brosnan
Harold Shand, a tough London gangster, is preparing a legitimate property-development deal with American partners when a series of bombings begins to threaten his entire empire. John Mackenzie's clunky Cockney gangster film is held in high regard, but I didn't much care for it back in the day, and a rewatch didn't change my opinion. Bob Hoskins gives a solid lead performance, but the character he plays is disappointingly naive. Francis Monkman's score is memorable, though.
