Pierce Brosnan doesn't even get a line in The Long Good Friday; in fact, in his film debut as '1st Irishman' (oh the indignity), Brosnan only actually finds himself in a couple of scenes. But in the film's downbeat climax, Brosnan surely makes his mark. Baby-faced and decked out in some ill-advised double denim, Brosnan's wordless IRA thug - sitting comfortably in a car taking a man to his probable execution - simply points his silenced pistol at Bob Hoskins's mob boss 'hero' Harold Shand and smirks cockily, knowing he was the one to finally outsmart him. It's a memorable early appearance, as the young Brosnan gets one over on Hoskins, the ultimate cockney bruiser, in the most coolly casual way. The film's a world away from an action movie like Survivor, and Brosnan's rough, callous smugness here probably wasn't the kind of thing to get him the Bond gig, but he's subtly effective all the same.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
