Reflections
on “The Long Good Friday”
Written
by Barrie Keeffe
Directed
by John Mackenzie
Starring
Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren
A video presentation of this material is available here.
Gangster films may hold a
certain fascination and present an intriguing insight into amoral chicanery,
corruption and crime, but they rarely evoke sympathy or affection for their
main character.
“The Long Good Friday” is
an exceptionally fine example of a gangster film which manages to lay bare the potential
realities and consequences of underworld activities and schemes while somehow
retaining a degree of compassion and understanding for Harold Shand, the London
gangland overlord of the film.
Interest and intrigue are
created firstly by the format of the narrative – this is not merely an
exposition of nefarious activities, but is presented as a mystery thriller.
Crimes take place right from the start, aimed largely at damaging Harold’s “corporation”,
though there is no clarity as to responsibility, motive and purpose. The
audience is therefore in the same position as Harold, in terms of
understanding, as he suffers bewildering and deadly attacks on his property and
personnel, establishing a certain affinity from the start as Harold may be seen
as a victim.
Harold presents himself
as an ambitious, determined businessman with a plan to make it big in property
and land development in the run-up to a potential bid for London to host the
Olympic Games in 1988. He is keen to involve the “right people” and his friends
in his scheme.
It is clear Harold wishes
to succeed in legitimate property dealing and development but it is equally
clear he is in the habit of using underhand and dubious tactics to achieve such
“legitimate” success.
As in many other gangster
films, our “hero” makes use of corrupt council and government officials and
police officers who are more than willing to accept payment to facilitate
whatever scheme Harold has in mind. Unlike other gangster films, however, these
characters are developed to some extent, contribute to the film’s plot and
allow us to see another side of Harold’s nature.
Harold is a complex
character. He shows enthusiasm, dynamism, care, pain, regret, grief, nostalgia,
sociability, loyalty, ambition and pride. He is also capable of acts of
callousness, viciousness and brutality. Something of a rough diamond, he
aspires to classy trappings and proceedings yet is relatively uncultured but
genuine in his sentiments. Above all else, he is human.
His romantic companion is
the upper-class Victoria, an intelligent and seemingly well-educated lady who
appears to hold Harold in genuine affection and who is happy to nurture and
direct Harold in his more legitimate business dealings and events.
For all that, Harold is
the victim of deadly bombings and at least two of his “corporation” are killed,
leading to his investigation to find and punish those responsible. As he gets
more desperate, his thuggish nature comes to the fore and his methods become
increasingly violent, from which we may impute just how he attained his exalted
position in the London underworld. It is also in these circumstances that we
feel the effect of the genius of the script, direction and performance, for
despite Harold’s vicious and brutal assaults on others, we remain on his side.
Perhaps this is because within
this amoral community, each is as bad as the other. Perhaps it is because we
feel Harold is being unfairly targeted. Or perhaps it is because we have seen
and shared his inner feelings, understand his ambitions and motivations and
admire his familial attachment to loyalty. Whatever the reason, we feel he is
defending himself and is using methods familiar to and accepted by his
colleagues and enemies who all operate by the same rules.
Of course, peace between
competing underworld groups will only hold if all are advantaged, and Harold is
feeling distinctly disadvantaged. Gradually, the veneer of respectability,
diplomacy and working relationships is revealed to be a façade as Harold takes
ever more desperate measures to discover who is persecuting him.
Through no fault of his
own, and as a result of coincidence and greed on the part of his underlings,
Harold now faces the wrath of the IRA. Harold is warned by corrupt policeman
Parky and especially his scheming protégé Jeff that he cannot deal with the IRA
in the same way as he might deal with underworld competitors because they are
political, are fighting for a cause and will not adhere to the accepted rules
of underworld behaviour. This slight to his ego, combined with an unaccustomed
sense of powerlessness and desperation to uphold his position, push him over
the edge and, in a rage, he kills Jeff and goes on to try to deal with the IRA
in the only way he knows how, by extreme violence.
In the end, Harold pays
the ultimate price for his blinkered vision and too late realises the limits of
his strong-arm approach based on intimidation against an enemy not motivated by
mere greed and personal advancement.
What makes this film so
compelling is not the comeuppance of a vicious gangland thug, it’s the fact
that the clever script and direction build a picture of a very human and
likeable gangster under siege and we have sympathy, even a certain affection,
for him despite his awful deeds. A considerable achievement.
Bob Hoskins brings Harold
Shand to dynamic life and we share his incomprehension, his loss, his fervour
and his determination. Without the element of engagement and empathy he brings
to the role, with the able support of his co-stars, this would have been a good
but relatively ordinary gangster film, but instead it is transformed into a
character piece of extraordinary power. Mr Hoskins may have produced many
equally admirable performances, but I’m not sure he ever had a role that was
more memorable.
Altogether, this is a
fast-paced and emotionally engaging thriller made with vitality and verve, and
special mention should be made of the catchy, dynamic and oh-so memorable music
by Francis Monkman.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie
I can be reached at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk
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