Starring: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Pierce Brosnan, Paul Freeman

Directed By: John Mackenzie

There are so many gangster films out there especially the British and Americans ones. But there are times when miracles are born out of this genre. One of them is the Bob Hoskins and Hellen Mirren starrer The Long Good Friday. The film in itself is about the end cycle of one of the most powerful man in Britain. There are outside forces that our threatning his establishment. It causes him great deal of losses that he begins to inflict on his gang members. He begins to suspect everyone even his own police officer friends.

The only person left for him to trust is his wife played by Helen Mirren. She is the powerful shadow that gives Bob’s character some hope in the face of all this tragedy. The film was the first of its kind at the time. There was alot of reality that was unusual for that time. bob Hoskins also took up roles in movies like Monalisa after this to cement himself as a formidable force in cinema.

Bob Hoskins is a really short yet ferocious man who can tear people up with a mere glance. He plays a alcoholic gangster who is about to see his end. He is not prepared for what is about to hit him. He takes very harsh steps that might not go down well with his other gang members.

The whole film is a single character driven story that makes story slam right on to your face. The language in this movie has been a major influence in the future Guy Ritchie movies. There is nothing new that the director offers in the film but its just the approach to the story that makes something new to watch and an instant classic. The scenes between Helen and Bob are more like someone taming an animal. They need to be watched to be believed.

Many of the more memorable scenes have been used in several later movies. For example the airport scene where Bob walks the airport like he owns the place is taken for the other strong movie Sexy Beast with Ben Kingsley doing the strong walk.

The movies chances at the Oscars would have been really slim because of the accent the people use in this. There were conterversies over dubbing Bob Hoskins voice for the Americans. But this movie need to be enjoyed in its actual glory the dvd comes with several slang words used in the british mafia scene. But the film totally lies in the able shoulders and teeth of Bob Hoskins who burns the screen with this performance.

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