The Long Good Friday
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Movie Reviews of The Long Good Friday
Movie Review: Bob at his best
Summary: 4 Stars
This classic London gangland flick was shot in the late '70's and is none the worse for it. Bob Hoskins leads in a role that launched his career (alongside pennies from Heaven -BBC serial) with Helen Mirren shining as his 'Moll' with the smarts. Supporting roles from a cast of very capable British actors help in making the film a top notch production. The film works well, as the protagonist Hoskins try's to piece together what is happening as his world is attacked. Given the films structure the viewer is in the same riole as Hoskins, piecing together information to make sense of events and uncover who is creating merry hell. Without giving away the plot, the involvement of the IRA adds a dimension that lifts the story to a different level from a straight gangster flick. The script is well written and Pacey resulting in a film that bears repeated viewing, indeed a replay helps piece together elements missed previously. I first watched the film over 20 years ago (scary!) and enjoyed it as much now as i did then.Movie Review: A bit of a let down- actually quite a bit.
Summary: 2 Stars
NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW
This was my first venture into the "British Mob" movies with the exception of
"Snatch", and "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".
Well to say I was disappointed is probably an understatement. My Idea of a Mob boss, is not somebody who cries on his wife's shoulder after whacking one of his cronies in the head with a bottle and then thrusting the business end of the broken bottle into his throat. The reason behind this action of course was the said crony was one of the people responsible for causing his organization to tailspin right at the critical point of the organizations development. I don't recall Al Capone crying after he smashed in his associates head with a baseball bat at one of his board meetings.
I will say the first 60% of the movie was quite good especially the scene in the meat locker, or let me say the beginning of that scene. After that the movie seemed to lose direction precisely when it should have gained it, since your kept pretty much in the dark up to this point.
The ending was pretty good, with the exceptions of "the Americans" whose accent was horrendous and quite un American, and also another example of weak underworld figures. The one thing that became evident at the very end however, is that the story should have been about the Irish Mobsters as opposed to their English counter parts.
If this is the English version of a Mobster, I will be organizing my own crime syndicate
starting tomorrow, I will need several raw recruits, no experience necessary other than
through knowledge of "Good fellows", "Casino", "Scar face" and throw in "the Godfather" for good measure.
Come equipped with a tire iron, cigarettes, a healthy apatite for the top quality English Ales
and a blade in case we attend a soccer match and have a run in with some soccer hooligans.
I will give "layer cake" a shot but if I could suggest one for others to see, I would go with "infernal affairs", good story, good plot twists and ruthless criminals, also that DVD has
subtitles so you will have no problem understanding what is going on or what is being said, which is another thing that "the Long Good Friday" DVD was also lacking.
I apologize if I have no appreciation for the director who did this work or if it was one of
his few ventures in the English language, I just did not care that much for it, and believe me
I wanted to enjoy it.
Movie Review: Complex, Off-Beat, and Fascinating
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this film for our collection because it is a) British, b) showcases character actors in leading roles, and c) is one of the few movies Eddie Constantine made in English.
The film follows Bob Hoskins' character, a Brit mob boss who has worked his way up the ranks, through the course of what is ultimately his demise. Helen Mirren is his mistress - her character has the thankless job of trying to help Hoskins maintain some semblance of self-control. Constantine plays an American mob boss who is in negotiations with Hoskins on a business deal.
We found the film a dark but fascinating character study. The whole cast is superb. I took one mark off for the sometimes hard-to-follow dialect accents. (They aren't as bad as the ones in say, "Godsford Park," but it can make for some hard slogging.)
This is NOT a mainstream film, nor will it excite those who are used to major special effects. However, if you are looking for something well-crafted and in depth, give this one a try.
Movie Review: Riveting film but should be seen a second time
Summary: 5 Stars
This move is superbly acted, cleverly directed and wonderfully scored. The one drawback is some of the cockney accents. Therefrefore you need to watch it a second time in order to pick up subtle things you missed the first time. Also the one negative in the movie was the American actor Eddie Constantine who plays the mafioso "Charlie." He played him almost as if he was a higher class bookie. Speakign of actors besides Bob Hoskins, Derek Thompson (who played 'Jeff') was particularly good. I also caught this coincidence - the pimp in Brixton was named "Errol" and the night watchman towards the end of the movie was named "Flynn." The final scene in which Bob Hoskins is in the car with Pierce Brosnan in the front seat holding a gun on him with Francis Monkman's score playing is a classic and must have taken many days to film just right.Movie Review: Consistent, dependent and cheap
Summary: 5 Stars
Caiman is a good seller. They possess a wide spectrum of DVDs and are usually found among the top new DVD sellers. I've purchased quite a bit from Caiman and never found reason to complain. If you plan to buy a good deal it's a contact that you will want to keep. They also often sell Criterion at low prices.