Everett Collection/REX



"The Mafia? I've shit 'em!"

Brutal. Compelling. Poignant. Prescient. Thrilling. All words synonymous with The Long Good Friday, John Mackenzie's masterpiece that propelled the late, great Bob Hoskins to film stardom in 1980 as the complex gangster Harold Shand. Its power to enthral and shock has not diminished in the intervening years, while its cultural value has soared as it provides a fascinating snapshot of a society in transition.

Charting the demise of Shand's empire as he seeks to turn himself into a legitimate businessman through a property deal with an American client, the film is laden with aesthetic articulations of violence that are horrendous yet gripping. This is epitomised by the gory sequence in which Shand's paranoia compels him to round up potential enemies and hang them upside down on meat hooks in an abattoir, complete with POV shots from the captives to reinforce the chilling sense of horror. It's an undeniably persuasive method.

There's a distinct ferocity to the dialogue throughout, as Shand's blunt vernacular feels authentic, channeling his increasing inner rage and often delivered through clenched teeth with a growl. "I'll have his carcass dripping blood by midnight," Shand seethes after he launches the hunt to find whoever plotted to blow him up during a planned lunch. "Shut up you long streak of paralysed piss," is another memorable line, barked out in the middle of a tirade.

Compare that to the self-consciously stylised and rhythmic way that the Mockney gangsters talk in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, a film that paid homage to The Long Good Friday by casting PH Moriarty â€“ Shand's shady henchman Razors â€“ as sex shop owner and death-by-dildo exponent Hatchet Harry.

Everett Collection/REX



From the moment that Shand made his buoyant entrance strutting through Heathrow Airport accompanied by a suitably grandiose soundtrack, we witness a man desperately seeking to remain afloat as an unknown enemy (the IRA) strives to destroy his organisation for a reason that he can't fathom until he roots out a traitor very close to his heart. He's an insecure ball of rage waiting to explode, which he inevitably does in artery-slashing fashion on board his status symbol boat.

A look at the very last shot of the film is a fitting way to demonstrate the affecting and transcendent qualities of The Long Good Friday that ensure that the movie lingers on in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll. It involves an extended, unflinching look at a man who fooled himself into believing that he was untouchable being forced to come to terms with his own imminent death.

Shortly after believing that he'd won the battle against his foes by arranging the murder of an IRA boss, Shand is duped into entering a black cab populated by two IRA members (including a gun-toting, effortlessly suave Pierce Brosnan) and driven off in silence with the camera fixed on his face as the nighttime lights of London fade into the distance behind him. The film concludes before the destination is reached, but his fate is certain.

What we witness from Bob Hoskins is acting in its purest, most potent form. It is sheer magnificence, free from dialogue yet bursting with meaning. During the journey we learn so much about Shand from his subtle facial expressions and the transformation that gradually occurs. We're struck by the seething defiance that's etched on his face once the shock from his kidnapping subsides, which is soon replaced by flashes of acceptance and even the vaguest hint of a wry smile. After all, he was warned that the IRA doesn't play by the rules and function like a colony of ants.

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The internal wrangling of conflicting emotions within Shand's psyche, all fighting to rise to the surface, culminates in his face being overcome by that serene look of acceptance. Speaking at a press conference in 2000 (which can be found on the film's DVD Special Edition), Hoskins spoke of the instructions that director Mackenzie gave him: "He said to me, 'I'm going to hold the camera on you for five minutes and I don't want you to say a word... I just want you to think your way through the film."

Hoskins inhabits this complicated character to mesmerising effect, imbuing him with moments of decency and sympathy (offering to help a grieving widow financially) alongside the aggression. The man's moral ambiguity and complexity is epitomised by his reaction to finding a syringe beside the bed of a police informant (Paul Barber) that he pays a less than sociable visit to. "Is there no decency left in this disgusting world?" he rhetorically fumes. This bastion of morality then proceeds to set his henchman Razors loose on the man, encouraging him to slash his body.

Everett Collection/REX



"This used to be a nice street, this. Decent families. No scum," Shand remarks while roaming an inner-city neighbourhood, like a violent Alf Garnett. There's an undercurrent of racism and xenophobia, as he says this while observing ethnic residents. His twisted moral code is again evident when he gleams with pride when a white boy (played by Dexter Fletcher) demands protection money for not damaging his car. This is the England that he knows and loves.

An underlying sense of sadness pervades the film. Although he won't consciously address it, you feel that Shand is a stranger on his own turf. His classical old school gangster has exceeded its shelf life, rendered obsolete by well-educated business school graduates like his protÃ©gÃ© Jeff (Derek Thompson). This predicts the rise of the white-collar criminal throughout the 1980s, committing his nefarious deeds with his brain in the stock market rather than his fists in an East End boozer. The movie isn't just about one man clinging on for survival â€“ it feels like a part of English culture is threatened with extinction.

The contemporary sense of a society undergoing major changes is reinforced by Shand's business venture involving the re-development of property in the Docklands through American or German funding. This foreshadows the regeneration of the area and the growing internationalisation of the UK economy throughout the 1980s and beyond. Shand is indeed indicative of the 'self-made' capitalist man nurtured by Thatcher's enterprise culture, a portentous representation that only became evident long after the film's release.

Everett Collection/REX



In line with the nascent Thatcherism that emerged when the Conservatives regained power in 1979, Helen Mirren's portrayal of Shand's wife Victoria is a fascinating representation of the rising status of women in society. She's far from the gangster's moll who would supply a submissive presence over the previous decades, holding huge power within his network and not being afraid to set Harold straight with a few words or slaps when he behaves inappropriately. Like a scolded dog, he's submissive after such rebukes and seeks her physical affection by placing his head on her shoulders at one point after an altercation.

The casting decisions for The Long Good Friday are also a crucial part of its success. Not just for the well-matched leads, but for the sheer amount of recognisable pre-fame faces to be seen. If you want to see Charlie from Casualty accosting Helen Mirren with the line "I want to lick every inch of you," then you've stumbled onto the right film. A future James Bond, Denzil from Only Fools And Horses, Jacko from Brush Strokes and the aforementioned Fletcher are among the many familiar figures.

While England may have changed beyond recognition from the world that Harold Shand was reared in, there still remains that stiff upper lipped hesitation to celebrate our own triumphs. It's a diabolical liberty. The Long Good Friday deserves its place alongside the Goodfellas of this world, a modern masterpiece that will help to ensure that the legacy and memory of the incredible Bob Hoskins will live on.

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