The Long Good Friday (Explosive Special Edition) [DVD]

This movie is excellent from the cast of actors through the plot and the realistic brutality that is far more shocking for it's realism than many of the movie scenes that almost glorify the act of killing and the crazed manner in which people die,that is all to frequently seen in movies of this ilk.The stone cold realism of someone being stabbed in the swimming pool shower scene, in this movie carried out by a very young Pierce Brosnan is so much more disturbing for the cold quick and mechanical taking of a life watched draining away with a simple scene of blood swirling down a drain as the victim lies dead,with only this trace of his existence left,than the wild shoot outs and incredible fire and fist power which is empty and ridiculous in so many films.The lack of airs and graces along with a lack of pretence as to who is who and who does what is also something that marks the movie as sitting in a category with very few other films of this genre.Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren as the principles are a suitably cold couple.Bob Hoskins especially seems to relish the role of being the top man,and the outtakes and follow up interviews from years later are of great interest to any film lover.They are far more interesting and revealing than many of the two hour "lost scene,outtake" discs that are usually the drivel that did not make it past the cut,that is why they are "lost" for so long,they should never be seen,as they are terrible.I am cynical in that i do believe these discs are deliberately held back for cash ins at a later stage,to ease the viewers money away from them to see a load of not much at a bloated price.I have not layed out the plot or said to much about the movie,more about the atmosphere,however giving things away to first time viewers is very unkind.I would suggest that you do get this movie and enjoy it for yourself,you will soon see how far the quick and simple efficiency of action is far more memorable and frightening than so many other movies action filled with guns,weapons,hundreds of deaths etc yet ultimately empty of any resounding memories or of wanting to watch the movie again or tell your friends about it.Ian.

It's a helluva call to make but I would consider this my all time favourite gangster movie - if The Godfather trilogy is the Shakespeare of gangster films, and Scarface is the Opera of gangster films then THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY is the Dickens of Gangster films with some Jacobean tragedy overtones. It says as much as any film about the Irish determination to wage terror in their quest for justice; it is rich in the class issues that bedevil English society; it touches on immigration issues; it understands thed power and potential for corruption in local government; it highlights the cultural cringe the UK has for Hollywod -the use of Eddie Constantine as a visiting gangster from the USA is a master stroke - he can't get out of England fast enough, so pervasive is the violence, so dangerous is the place- he likens it to a war zone; but this also highlights another theme: as in so many things Harold (played brilliantly by Bob Hoskins) is constantly looking to the past in terms of the greatness of the "British Empire" and the trappings of the past - a Rolls Royce (which is blown up), the Church (to which only his ageing mother goes), and the gentry (his partner who is taken from him, played by the great Ms Helen Mirrem.There are many highlights - Harold's temper is one such and he loses it from time to time using a broken bottle to give the face of one his lieutenants a Jacobean makeover, but the final minutes when the camera rests on his face as he is unexpectedly driven off into the night by the Irish and we read in his silent face the surprise, anger, rage, dawning realisation of his fate, acceptance, and defiance all flashing across his features, we see cinema acting at its very finest. Not a moment that should be cut in this film. And how many films can we say that about?A small but rich masterpiece and one of the the finest gangster films ever made.

If I'm very enthusiastic about THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, I'm forced to admit that two trailers as extra features don't deserve a loud applause. Even from a Criterion point of view. Anyway, sound and audio are very well treated as always in this collection and I strongly recommend this investment to any movie lover.Hollywood gangsters movies, since the thirties, have described the rise and fall of a great number of Scarface look-alike. Generally, the first third of the movie exposed the hero's childhood and his fights to become the boss, the second third exposed his struggle to stay the boss and the last third his irresistible fall.John Mackenzie chose with THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY to present the last 36 hours of a London mobster. We suppose that he has killed a lot of rivals to become what he is now but that's not the movie's point and Mackenzie hardly gives us any explanation about Bob Hoskins' past. He's the boss since ten years and everything seems allright. He's part of the establishment and cannot understand what's happening when his men are murdered.Apart of the extraordinary performance of Bob Hoskins in an Al Capone role, what's terrific in THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY is the way Mackenzie describes this mobster's ending. Bob Hoskins literally explodes in his taylor made suit, he's a beast which doesn't understand what's going on and becomes enraged. You have to see him committing murder and hear his bestial shout.It's also a movie about morals and ethic. What upsets the most Bob Hoskins, it's not the murders in themselves but the fact that they are committed in front of a church or in a swimming pool. His opponents just don't play by the rules. Shame on them.NB: look for Pierce Brosnan in the role of an irish killer and for the great photography of London.A DVD for your library.

Belangloser, als Krimi getarnter Film, in dem vor allem eines auffällt: das ständige Herumbrüllen des Hauptdarstellers Bob Hoskins, der seine Dialoge, vermutlich im Irrglauben, damit Spannung zu erzeugen, regelrecht kaputtschreit - was den Film kein bisschen besser macht. Ebenso wenig verhelfen dem Streifen ein paar markig eingestreute Szenen wie die an Füssen im Schlachthof neben Rinder- u. Schweinehälften aufgehängten Gegenspieler zu auch nur mittelmäßiger Attraktivität. Wieso im deutschen Titel (Rififi am Karfreitag) die Anspielung auf den um Klassen besseren, französischen Krimi „Rififi“ auftaucht, bleibt Geheimnis des Herausgebers. Einziger Lichtblick: Helen Mirren in jugendlicher Schönheit. Ist aber letztendlich doch zu wenig, also: einmal anschauen und dann weg damit.

“The Long Good Friday, is like the real old Gangster,of old time movies,if you can’t give this movie five stars,why bother,“Never heard anything about this movie before, not until I was searching for something else and this pop up,what a good movie this is, it’s like a slow ride, like back in the old Westerns from “Sergio Leone” films,with the long look of the scenery before the actual point of the person you’re about to see,what I don’t like is,the opening music, it was very annoying,didn’t like it one bit,Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) runs an underworld empire,when one of his dreams of a lucrative deal with theAmerican Mafia,using there money to bring London back to where he thinks it should be,his deal start to fall apart,when one of his men short change the Irish,a string of deadly Bombings start to take place,unbeknownst to Harold, whats was happing,which in turn send the Americans packing,Oh my “Helen Mirren was stunning when she was young,but to see baby face “Pierce Brossnan” who never spoke one word,was hilarious, what a good movie this is, it says it’s in 5.1 but I beg to differ,the explosion scene tells me it’s not,the picture quality on this Blu-Ray is outstanding1.85:15.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.I don’t think so.Runtime 113 Minutes.Love This Movie....

Inevitably a movie made 35 years ago is going to be dated in some ways, but film it is dated mainly in the best sense. The late Bob Hoskins nails his role as the Tony Soprano of South London; Helen Mirren, sexy and gorgeous, is perfect as his moll, and a then unknown Irish stage actor named Pierce Brosnan makes a memorable film debut as a gay IRA assassin. The writing sometimes lacks tension, but the suspense is real (there's no way to predict the ending) and for viewers of a certain age it's a memorable time trip back to the later 1970s. Transfer has excellent colour, though there are some indications of wear from the source material, and the audio (like so many Brit films [and TV]) from the 60s and 70s can be wonky. A full scale restoration would be worth the effort IMHO.

Found this movie to be really slow going, with a rather poor and predictable story line. Its only saving grace was Helen Mirren and even she could not save this Turkey of a film.

Article parvenu chez moi dans les délais, état impeccable.L'histoire des durs démêlés d'un truand londonien rêvant de réaliser un gros projet immobilier dans son ancien quartier.Magistralement interprété par le regretté Bob Hoskins, notre "héros", courageusement épaulé par la magnifique Dame Helen Mirren, se voit contraint de lutter seul face une grandissante et insaisissable menace, plus proche et sauvage qu'il ne pouvait l'imaginer.Des acteurs impeccables, la verve impayable de Bob Hoskins, l'ambiance londonienne sombre et peu avenante.Un film noir à l'ancienne, bien conçu, soutenu, prenant. Culte.Édition DVD très valable, son et image excellents.Recommandé !