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A classic British gangster film is hailed by fans as a “masterpiece” and has a near-perfect 97% score. The Long Good Friday (1980) stars the late great Bob Hoskins as a Harold Shand, a menacing London gangster trying to go straight – by partnering up with American mobsters on a major building project.
But a series of bomb attacks throws the plan into chaos. Shand suspects he’s been betrayed, and is pulled back into the murky world of violence and retribution. The film also stars Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren as Shand’s formidable girlfriend Victoria, as well as including a big screen debut for future Bond star Pierce Brosnan.
One Audience Writer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote: “I’ve not seen a better British gangster movie, it’s simply a masterpiece of its time, I watched it on its video release 40 odd yrs ago and loved it, I watched it again today and it’s just as compelling, fresh and intelligent as it was back then.”
Another wrote: “Excellent, underrated, and overlooked — Bob Hoskins is also one intimidating gentleman.”
Hoskins’ performance was roundly praised by fans, with one saying he “inhabits the role of Harold Shand with such passion that we are completely swept along with him”.
Some viewers took issue with the pacing and suggested that the film is showing its age 45 years on.
One wrote: “The pacing may be off-putting to some, but that does very little to muddle The Long Good Friday’s quality performances, good script, and compelling score.”
Another fan said it was, “Confusing at first, but grows more exciting as it goes along,” adding that it’s a, “Slow but very rewarding mystery/gangster film”.
The film has a whopping 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer (which reflects the percentage of approved critics who have given the film a positive review).
It’s also highly-rated among fans, with a 89% Popcornmeter score (the percentage of users that gave it a rating of 3.5 stars or higher).
The Long Good Friday is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
