10 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die
3. The Long Good Friday
John Mackenzie’s 1980 state of the nation picture features an incredibly fiery lead role from the much missed Bob Hoskins, and perhaps one of the five best movie endings of all time. The Long Good Friday takes on many of the UK’s fears and hot topics of the day - the IRA, police corruption, Thatcherism giving rise to unchecked capitalism - and mixes them all into a grubby, thrilling mob picture that stands up brilliantly.
Hoskins plays Harold Shand, a London mobster best by pressure coming from all sides. His aspiration is to ditch the criminal life for legitimate business, but a series of murders throws into question the control he has over his operation. With a major transatlantic deal at stake, Shand is forced to wade back into the murky world he hopes to leave behind.
Helen Mirren co-stars as Shand’s wife Victoria, and a young Pierce Brosnan features as a hitman, but this is Hoskins’ show. Without giving the game away, his minimalist performance in the final minutes should be compulsory viewing in any worthy acting class.