Product Details

• Actors: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin McNally
• Directors: John MacKenzie
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
• DVD Release Date: August 24, 2010
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003NOGNXI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,047 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A very impressive British sleeper, this 1979 film features Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) as a ruthless gangster caught up in the competitive turf wars of the London underworld. Just when the gangster thinks he's made a deal to insure his financial security and solidify his power, he is targeted for assassination by an unseen enemy and must go to war for his very survival. Hoskins turns in a tightly coiled yet sympathetic portrayal of a man tragically trapped by his own ambition. Featuring a sexy performance by Helen Mirren (White Nights, Prime Suspect) as the mistress he can't quite trust, The Long Good Friday is a moody, evocative thriller and an undiscovered gem of the crime genre. --Robert Lane

Product Description

Entrepreneurial mob boss Harold Shand (Academy Award-nominee Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa) runs an underworld empire but his dreams are much bigger. He and his sophisticated wife (Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, The Queen) aspire to partner with American mobsters to turn the barren docklands of London into a development for the upcoming Olympics. But their perfect plan begins to unravel when a string of deadly bombings leads Shand to the stunning realization that he is being targeted by the IRA. A bloody race to hold on to his crumbling schemes brings him to an explosive climax in this taut, riveting thriller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must see high powered and provacative British gangster epic December 6, 2000

By P. Ferrigno

Format:DVD

Talented English director John MacKenzie knew that the English gangster genre needed a good shot in the arm...and he delivered the goods with this tightly scripted and brilliantly acted crime drama.

Bob Hoskins is outstanding as London mob boss, Harold Shand...masterminding a major construction development along the river Thames that will nett him, and his American backers, millions of pounds. Shand has everyone on his payroll...politicians, police and enforcers...but then suddenly everything starts to unravel, and Harolds world turns upside down in the space of a day. MacKenzie's film moves with intent and purpose and Barrie O'Keeffe's screenplay keeps the suspense at a finely tuned pitch. A terrific support cast headed by the sulrty Helen Mirren as Harold's wife, Victoria....Derek Thompson as the cowardly, opportunist Jeff....P.H. Moriarty as the aptly named bodyguard "Razors"....and Bryan Marshall as the drunken councillor, Harris, further contribute to the success of this challenging film.

Clever use of authentic London locations and creative cinematography lend a further hand to enhance the claustraphobic atmoshpere closing in upon Harold Shand and his crew...the viewer really feels through Hoskins emotional range, the unnerving pressure that is causing him to come apart at the seams. Excellent transfer to DVD...sound and color both superb...it's a pity that Criterion didn't add a few extra goodies that they usually package with their fine presentations.

A solidly crafted, gripping film with A grade performances by a splendid English cast...and keep your eyes open for a very youthful Pierce Brosnan in a minor role.

FOOTNOTE : MacKenzie also made another powerful movie three years prior in 1979 called "A Sense of Freedom"......based on the true story of Glasgow gangster, Jimmy Boyle, and his life in jail and out. It's a harrowing, gritty prison film that doesn't pull it's punches...unfortunately it's not on video or DVD at present...but hopefully it will return. Another A class crime film !! Read more ›

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Gangster Flick December 11, 2001

By "jones5000"

Format:DVD

I don't know this for sure, but the Criterion edition of The Long Good Friday is probably the only halfway decent edition of the film available. The story itself is really good, but the DVD leaves a LOT to be desired. First, it is poor quality mono. Second, there are NO subtitles in ANY language. I had much difficulty understanding the mostly "cockney" English, doubly difficult due to significant audio distortion at most all audio levels! If it weren't for the fact that the story is so absorbing, and I am a big fan of Bob Hoskins, I probably would not have been able to sustain an interest to watch the DVD through to the end. But I did! However, I have to watch it at least one more time to catch all the dialogue I missed the first time!!! Also, although the picture quality was mostly decent, the DVD contained many white splotches (original film deterioration?) that most likely could and should have been cleaned up with more attention by Criterion, especially since Criterion provided NO extras (except for a couple of trailers) with this edition. Why are Criterion's prices so high for bare minimum and, in this case, average technical quality DVDs? Objections aside, this is an intriguing ganster flick!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars STILL "EXPLOSIVE" AFTER 24 YEARS! March 19, 2004

By Shashank Tripathi VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

The second best ever Brit gangster movie is a brilliant energy-filled piece. Ritchie's "Lock, Stock..." is fine if you want a jokey gangster film bailed out by lucky coincidences, but this is the real thing, believable and intelligent.

What really raises this movie into the stratosphere is the bravura performance by Bob 'Oskins. The much-praised ending is riveting. Surely it's the most dazzling display of an actor's craft to hold in close facial shot for a prolonged time showing a variety of emotions cross the features? Hoskins does this to perfection, showing (at least) disbelief, anger, realization, fear, grim amusement and acceptance over a 90 second period, all the while set to pounding soundtrack and flickering lighting from passing streetlamps.

If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and buy the excellent DVD which also has some neat features.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant film but Blu-ray disc could be a lot better August 3, 2010

By John Chandler

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have compared this with the UK release and there are several significant differences: This is 1.85:1 whereas the UK release is cropped to 1.66:1. The cover claims that is the original aspect ratio but I can find no evidence to support this. The American release also has subtitles - God knows who did them, but not a London Cockney for sure - and despite many errors they will be a great help to the hearing impaired. My UK copy had a prominent hum on the DTS-HD Master audio, (but not on the stereo track), but the US release seems fine. So far it is the US by a knock-out, but the UK has a decent range of extras including commentary and a really interesting "making of" doco. Why on earth they could not have done a decent job and got them all on the same disc baffles me but in the end I will watch this US release for the wider picture, the better audio and the subtitles. It has also recently been on sale for $5.99, a real Christmas gift!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this disc August 14, 2010

By Cannucklehead Film Addict

Format:Blu-ray

Here is a link to a review of the Image Entertainment Blu-Ray, with screen shots and comparisons to previous editions on DVD:

[...]

If the above doesn't appear as a live link, then simply copy and past into the address bar of your browser. The news, however, is simple: the disc is single-layered, and the feature doesn't even occupy all the space it could (18gigs, where 25 was available). Screen shots demonstrate that the disc gives a marginally brighter image than the existing SD-DVDs, but is otherwise unremarkable, and has no supplements, not even the supplements on the old Anchor Bay "Special Edition" from a few years ago. Detail is mushy, with nothing particularly standing out, though the colours appear to be somewhat improved. It looks to me as if an existing master, of reasonable quality, has simply been turned into a quick blu-ray. What needs to be done is to remaster the film specifically with blu-ray in mind. Yes, it's cheap, but in this case, and based on the screen shots, I would say that you are truly getting what you pay for.