Stars: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Eddie Constantine, Pierce Brosnan, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Paul Freeman, Leo Dolan, Kevin McNally, P.H. Moriarty, Dexter Fletcher, Gillian Taylforth

Director: John Mackenzie

Summary: John Mackenzie's rabidly engaging, complex gangster film concerns the demise of a dominant English racketeer, Harold (Bob Hoskins), who is about to change his image and go straight. While negotiating a deal with an American organized crime organization to develop the barren Docklands section of London, his associates begin to turn up dead, and the tough Cockney businessman realizes that getting out will be more difficult than he had anticipated. This extremely tight British thriller made Hoskins a star.

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Straddling two decades, The Long Good Fridayis a gangster film with a thoughtful and provocative core. Made in 1979, but not released--after a near-comical saga of proposed re-editing and overdubbing recounted in the booklet--until two years later, it combines the gritty realism of 1970s movies (Get Carter, The Sweeney) with the nouveau riche, fake-glamour culture of the 1980s. Bob Hoskins gives one of his most engaging screen performances as Harold Shand, top London mobster whose grandiose ambitions are doomed to failure of Shakespearian proportions. Helen Mirren is understated and alluring as his wife, and there's a strong support cast--even a brief, near-silent cameo from Pierce Brosnan! Director John Mackenzie controls tension impressively over the 109-minute span and if the IRA angle now seems a tad contrived, the prolonged final image of Shand coming to terms with defeat is breathtaking; heightened by Francis Monkman's punchy synths and saxes score.

On the DVDThe Long Good Fridayis presented on disc in a 16:9 full-frame picture that reproduces well, and is enhanced by stereo and 5.1 Dolby surround sound options. There's a photo gallery and the original trailer, detailed biographies and film notes, a running commentary from Mackenzie, and an interview with Hoskins and Mackenzie taken from the National Film Theatre presentation in 2000. There must be a whole archive's worth of these interviews by now, so let's have more of them included in future DVD releases. --Richard Whitehouse

Aspect Ratio:	1.78 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Bloody Business: Making The Long Good Friday, Audio Commentary with Director John Mackenzie, UK and US Theatrical Trailers, Cockney Slang Glossary, Poster and Still Gallery, Biographies, Screenplay on DVD ROM
Year:	1979
Release Date:	September 18, 2006
Runtime:	110 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	A B D 4610
Keywords:	Long, Film, Two, Friday, Edition, Good, Anniversary, Thriller, Discs
Genre:	Thriller