The Long Good Friday

Play trailer

The Long Good Friday

R

Released Apr 2, 1982

1h 54m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins), a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Bob Hoskins commands a deviously sinister performance in The Long Good Friday -- a gangster flick with ferocious intelligence, tight plotting and razor-edged thrills.

Read Critics Reviews

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

John Mackenzie’s gangster film offers a panorama of Britain’s shifting place in the world during the Seventies.

May 28, 2024

Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

The simple, almost Shakespearean moral is that nefarious deeds breed a climate of contempt, and that any success will always be tainted.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 23, 2015

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Sheer brilliance.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 21, 2015

Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Hoskins and Mirren make a formidable pair; their emotional tension matches the physical violence around them, which makes The Long Good Friday into a true powder keg of a gangster melodrama.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 22, 2024

Full Review

Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Without The Long Good Friday, it's hard to imagine the likes of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels existing. To its credit, the film still feels fresh despite its legacy in the movies that followed.

May 30, 2023

Full Review

Peter Ackroyd

The Spectator

The film lingers in the mind as an exposure of one man's illusions about himself and his world. Reality intrudes upon him like the hands around someone's neck.

Mar 27, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Helen E

The best British gangster film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

Full Review

Ant O

As much a period piece of a London part gone and certainly changed, the godfather of British gangster films still looms over them like Bob Hoskins looms over this film. Prescient and still packing a punch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

Full Review

Mark C

Doesn't stand the test of time too well. Bob Hoskins was great in his role and the main theme song is so iconic.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

Full Review

matthew w

Bob Hoskins oozes menace as London crime boss Harold Shand, who in one violent weekend has to navigate a multi million pound deal with the mafia, as well as find a rat in his organzation while the IRA continually put pay to his plans.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/24

Full Review

Nicolas M

B- script. A+ Bob Hoskins. A phenomenal performance. Mirren good, too, of course.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

Full Review

Alec C

One of the most brutal and unflinching gangster films that have ever taken place in good ol' London! Bob Hoskins plays the conflicted crime lord struggling to go legit as an unknown enemy strikes from the shadows. With bombings and blood, this is a film where no one is safe from death.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/12/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Mackenzie

Director

Bob Hoskins

Harold Shand

Helen Mirren

Victoria

Eddie Constantine

Charlie

Dave King

Parky

Bryan Marshall

Harris

Body Heat

96%

81%

Body Heat

Watchlist

True Confessions

69%

53%

True Confessions

Watchlist

Scarface

79%

93%

Scarface

Watchlist

Prince of the City

93%

82%

Prince of the City

Watchlist

Code of Silence

67%

51%

Code of Silence

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rank Helen Mirren’s 10 Best Movies

Paul W.S. Anderson Having a Long Good Friday

"Long Good Friday" Remake, "88 Minutes," Stephen Chow’s Production Co. Sign With Sony

View more photos

Synopsis

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins), a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

Director: John Mackenzie
Producer: Barry Hanson
Screenwriter: Barrie Keeffe
Distributor: Criterion Collection, Paragon Video, Embassy Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 2, 1982, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Nov 24, 1998
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now