The Long Good Friday

Last updated

The Long Good Friday
LongGoodFridayPoster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Mackenzie
Screenplay by Barrie Keeffe
Produced byBarry Hanson
Starring
Cinematography Phil Meheux
Music by Francis Monkman
Production
companies
Distributed by HandMade Films
Release dates
  • 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)(LFF)
  • 29 March 1981 (1981-03-29)(United Kingdom)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£930,000
Box office£426,308 (UK) [1]

The Long Good Friday is a 1980 British gangster film [2] directed by John Mackenzie from a screenplay by Barrie Keeffe. Starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, the film, set in London, weaves together events and concerns of the late 1970s, including mid-level political and police corruption, and IRA fund-raising. The supporting cast features Eddie Constantine, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Paul Freeman and Pierce Brosnan in his film debut.

Contents

The film was completed in 1979, [3] but because of delays, it did not have a general release until early 1981. It received positive reviews from critics, and Bob Hoskins was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and won an Evening Standard Film Award for his performance as gangster Harold Shand. It was voted at number 21 in the British Film Institute's Top 100 British films list and provided Hoskins with his breakthrough film role. In 2016, British film magazine Empire ranked The Long Good Friday number 19 in its list of The 100 best British films. [4]

Plot

A man delivers money to an unknown recipient in Belfast and in the process, takes some of the cash for himself. As the recipients are counting the money in a country farmhouse they are attacked by uniformed gunmen. Soon afterwards Phil, the driver for the delivery, is kidnapped and killed. Later the delivery man, Colin, is murdered at a London swimming pool.

Harold Shand, a London gangster, is aspiring to become a legitimate businessman and is trying to form a partnership with Charlie, an American mafioso, with a plan to redevelop London Docklands, in association with local construction boss Councillor Harris. Shand's world is suddenly destabilised by a series of bomb attacks on his property and murders of his associates, including his old friend Colin. He and his henchmen try to uncover his attackers' identities by threatening corrupt police officers, informers, and other criminals, whilst simultaneously trying not to worry their visitors, fearing the Americans will abandon him if they think he's not in full control. Shand's girlfriend, Victoria, tells the Mafia representatives he is under attack from an unknown enemy but assures them Shand is working to quickly resolve the crisis. She starts to suspect that Shand's right-hand man, Jeff, knows more about who is behind the attacks than he claims.

After some investigation, Shand confronts Jeff, who confesses that under pressure from Councillor Harris, he sent Colin and Phil to Belfast to deliver money to the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on behalf of Harris. He explains that three of the IRA's top men were killed on the same night after the money was delivered. Shand realises the IRA have come to the conclusion that he sold them out to the security forces and pocketed the missing cash for himself, and is targeting his organisation in revenge. Vowing to destroy the terrorist organisation in London, Shand loses his temper and kills Jeff in a frenzy.

After confronting Harris, Shand sets up a meeting with the IRA's London leadership at a stock car racetrack. He ostensibly offers them £60,000 in return for a ceasefire but double crosses them and has them and Harris shot as they are counting the cash. Believing his enemies are dead and the problem solved, Shand travels to the Savoy Hotel to triumphantly inform Charlie and his assistant Tony, only to find the Americans preparing to leave, having been spooked by the carnage. In response to their derisory comments about the UK, Shand berates them for their arrogance and dismisses them as cowards.

Leaving the hotel, Shand steps into his chauffeur-driven car only to find it has been commandeered by IRA assassins. He sees Victoria being also kidnapped in another car. As the car speeds to an unknown destination, Shand contemplates the inevitability of his fate.

Cast

Production

The film was directed by John Mackenzie and produced for £930,000 [5] by Barry Hanson from a script by Barrie Keeffe, with a soundtrack by the composer Francis Monkman; it was screened at the Cannes, Edinburgh and London Film Festivals in 1980. [6]

Under the title The Paddy Factor, [7] the original story had been written by Keeffe for Hanson when the latter worked for Euston Films, [5] a subsidiary of Thames Television. Euston did not make the film, but Hanson bought the rights from Euston for his own company Calendar Films. [5] Although Hanson designed the film for the cinema and all contracts were negotiated under a film, not a TV agreement, the production was eventually financed by Black Lion, a subsidiary of Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment for transmission via Grade's ATV on the ITV network. [6] The film was commissioned by Charles Denton, at the time both programme controller of ATV and managing director of Black Lion. [5] After Grade saw the finished film, he allegedly objected to what he saw as the glorification of the IRA. [3]

The film was scheduled to be televised with heavy cuts on 24 March 1981. [6] Because of the planned cuts, in late 1980, Hanson attempted to buy the film back from ITC to prevent ITV from screening the film. The cuts, he said, would be "execrable" [5] [6] and added up to "about 75 minutes of film that was literal nonsense". [3]

Before the planned ITV transmission, the rights to the film were bought from ITC by George Harrison's company, HandMade Films, for around £200,000 less than the production costs. [3] It gave the film a cinema release. [8]

Casting

The role of Harold Shand was written specifically with Bob Hoskins in mind. In 1981, it was reported that Hoskins was suing both Black Lion and Calendar Films to prevent their planned release of a US TV version in which Hoskins' voice would be dubbed by English Midlands actor David Daker. [6] Ultimately, Hoskins' voice was not dubbed.

The Long Good Friday was the film debut of Pierce Brosnan, then 25. It was also the final role of George Coulouris.

Filming locations

The exterior of St George in the East, featured prominently in the film. St George-in-the-East (35944948224).jpg
The exterior of St George in the East, featured prominently in the film.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads "Bob Hoskins commands a deviously sinister performance in The Long Good Friday -- a gangster flick with ferocious intelligence, tight plotting, and razor-edged thrills." [9]

Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNomineeResult
British Academy Film Award 1982 Best Actor in a Leading Role Bob Hoskins Nominated
Edgar Award 1983 Best Motion Picture Screenplay Barrie Keeffe Won
Evening Standard British Film Award 1982Best ActorBob HoskinsWon
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award 1982 Best Foreign Film John Mackenzie Nominated

The Long Good Friday was voted at number 21 in the British Film Institute's list of the "BFI Top 100 British films" list. In 2016, Empire ranked The Long Good Friday number 19 in its list of "The 100 Best British films". [4]

Unproduced sequel

Barrie Keeffe wrote a sequel, Black Easter Monday, set 20 years after the events of the first film. It opened with Bob Hoskins's character; Harold Shand, escaping from the IRA after the car was pulled over by police. Shand would retire to Jamaica, then return to stop the East End being taken over by the Yardies. [10] However, the film was never made. In one of his last interviews, Keeffe seemed unconcerned by the lack of development: "In some ways, I’m glad we didn’t because sequels are usually diminishing returns. To put it up there with Casablanca, no one wants Casablanca II." [11]

Legacy

The final scene was later referenced in the films Michael Clayton (2007) and The Gentlemen (2019) as well as in the ending of the TV series Brian Pern (2017).

Notes

  1. The building was used in the scene when Harold and Victoria return to their flat. It was the offices of Orion Bank.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Hoskins</span> English actor (1942–2014)

Robert William Hoskins was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough playing Arthur Parker on the 1978 BBC Television serial Pennies from Heaven. He subsequently played acclaimed lead roles in the films The Long Good Friday (1980), Mona Lisa (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and Mermaids (1990).

<i>Mona Lisa</i> (film) 1986 film by Neil Jordan

Mona Lisa is a 1986 British neo-noir crime drama film about an ex-convict who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-class call girl. The film was written by Neil Jordan and David Leland, and directed by Jordan. It was produced by HandMade Films and stars Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, and Michael Caine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierce Brosnan</span> Irish actor (born 1953)

Pierce Brendan Brosnan is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent James Bond in the James Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 and in multiple video games, such as GoldenEye 007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lew Grade</span> British media proprietor and impresario (1906–1998)

Lew Grade, Baron Grade, was a Russian-born British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when he founded the Incorporated Television Company to distribute programmes, and following the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood decided to focus on bringing them to the American market. Grade had some success in this field with such series as Gerry Anderson's many Supermarionation series such as Thunderbirds, Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner, and Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. Later, Grade invested in feature film production, but several expensive box-office failures caused him to lose control of ITC, and ultimately resulted in the disestablishment of ATV after it lost its ITV franchise.

<i>Performance</i> (film) 1970 British film by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg

Performance is a 1970 British crime drama film directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, written by Cammell and filmed by Roeg. The film stars James Fox as a violent and ambitious London gangster who, after killing an old friend, goes into hiding at the home of a reclusive rock star.

Derek Thompson is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is known for playing Charlie Fairhead in the long-running BBC television medical drama series Casualty, playing the role since the series' inception in 1986, until his departure 38 years later in 2024, and his performance as Jeff in the gangster film The Long Good Friday.

<i>Man in a Suitcase</i> British TV thriller series (1967–1968)

Man in a Suitcase is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. ABC broadcast episodes of Man in a Suitcase in the United States from 3 May to 20 September 1968.

<i>Villain</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Michael Tuchner

Villain is a 1971 British gangster film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Richard Burton, Ian McShane, Nigel Davenport and Donald Sinden. It is based on James Barlow's 1968 novel The Burden of Proof. Villain was director Michael Tuchner's first feature film after directing in television.

John Leonard Duncan Mackenzie was a Scottish film director who worked in British film from the late 1960s, first as an assistant director and later as an independent director himself.

Trevor Laird is a British actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield Morgan</span> English actor (1931–2009)

Thomas Timothy Garfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on television and occasionally in films.

<i>A Prayer for the Dying</i> 1987 film by Mike Hodges

A Prayer for the Dying is a 1987 thriller film about a former IRA member trying to escape his past. The film was directed by Mike Hodges, and stars Mickey Rourke, Liam Neeson, Bob Hoskins, and Alan Bates. The film is based on the 1973 Jack Higgins novel of the same name.

<i>Law and Disorder</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Charles Crichton

Law and Disorder is a 1958 British crime comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Michael Redgrave, Robert Morley, Joan Hickson, and Lionel Jeffries. It was based on the 1954 novel Smugglers' Circuit by Denys Roberts. The film was initially directed by Henry Cornelius, who died while making the film. He was replaced by Crichton.

Patrick H. Moriarty is a British character actor and voice actor, known for his role as 'Razors' in John Mackenzie's The Long Good Friday, and Hatchet" Harry Lonsdale in the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Barrie Colin Keeffe was an English dramatist and screenwriter. Best known for his screenplay for the gangster classic The Long Good Friday (1980), starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, Keeffe demonstrated an interest in a variety of social and political issues, including disaffected youth and criminality.

Hollywood and the United Kingdom are connected via the American industry's use of British source material, an exchange of talent, and Hollywood's financial investment in British facilities and productions. The American studios have had their own bases in the UK in the past, such as MGM-British, and Warner Bros. owned shares in the now long disestablished British distributor Warner-Pathé, once part of the Associated British Pictures Corporation. The U.K. has had major production studios in the United States such as Trilith Studios.

Verity Eileen Bargate (1940–1981) was an English novelist and theatre director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hippolyte</span> British actor, singer (1958–2016)

Anthony Hippolyte was a British actor, director and singer who appeared on stage, TV, radio and film.

The 1934 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the ninth year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Rose Tobias Shaw was a Polish-American casting director.

References

  1. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 314. Refers to distributors share of gross.
  2. "The Long Good Friday review – classic Brit gangster melodrama". The Guardian . 18 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mark Duguid "Long Good Friday, The (1979)", BFI Screenonline
  4. 1 2 "The 100 best British films". Empire. 29 November 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Association of Independent Producers' magazine, September 1980.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Producer seeks a £ 1m buyer...": news report in movie trade magazine Screen International, 22 November 1980.
  7. Bloody Business: The Making of The Long Good Friday, documentary film, 2006
  8. Robert Sellers, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: The Inside Story of HandMade Films, Metro, 2003, pp. 56–70.
  9. "The Long Good Friday". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media.
  10. Johnston, Sheila (21 April 2010). "Interview: Barrie Keeffe on Sus, The Long Good Friday and London's Changing East End: Artful dodgers, diamond geezers and the real East End, by one of its leading scribes". The Arts Desk.
  11. "Barrie Keefe on 'The Long Good Friday'". We Are Cult. 5 September 2021.