The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday kicks off like a gangland knees-up and gradually descends into pure panic. What starts as a swaggering tale of London’s top geezer modernising his empire turns into a masterclass in losing your grip—on power, respect, and basic bloody control. Hoskins is electric: all puffed-up bravado and twitchy desperation, a man used to making threats, not receiving them.
What’s brilliant is how small things feel at first—an explosion here, a missed meeting there. Then the noose tightens, and suddenly every pint, punter, and politician looks suspect. It’s the Thatcher era creeping in: deals over dinner, land grabs, and bombing in car parks. Helen Mirren is incredible as the calm in his storm, quietly managing the fallout with poise and more brains than most of the blokes.
And that final scene—just his face, stuck between fury and fear—is one of the greatest endings. Crime may pay, but not in perpetuity. Especially not on a Friday.
What’s brilliant is how small things feel at first—an explosion here, a missed meeting there. Then the noose tightens, and suddenly every pint, punter, and politician looks suspect. It’s the Thatcher era creeping in: deals over dinner, land grabs, and bombing in car parks. Helen Mirren is incredible as the calm in his storm, quietly managing the fallout with poise and more brains than most of the blokes.
And that final scene—just his face, stuck between fury and fear—is one of the greatest endings. Crime may pay, but not in perpetuity. Especially not on a Friday.
Mini Review: The Long Good Friday starts like a cocky gangland romp and spirals into pure panic. Hoskins is magnetic—swaggering one minute, sweating bullets the next—as his empire slips through his fingers. Small blips snowball: a missed meeting, an explosion, then full-blown chaos. It’s Thatcher’s Britain creeping in, all slick deals and car bombs. Mirren is ice-cool brilliance, steadying the ship. And that final scene—just his face—says it all: power doesn’t last, especially not on a Friday.
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