| The Long Good Friday | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Mackenzie |
| Screenplay by | Barrie Keeffe |
| Produced by | Barry Hanson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Phil Meheux |
| Music by | Francis Monkman |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | HandMade Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £930,000 |
| Box office | £426,308 (UK)[1] |
The Long Good Friday is a 1980 British gangster film[2] directed by John Mackenzie from a screenplay by Barrie Keeffe. Starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, the film, set in London, weaves together events and concerns of the late 1970s, including mid-level political and police corruption, and IRA fund-raising. The supporting cast features Eddie Constantine, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Paul Freeman and Pierce Brosnan in his film debut.
The film was completed in 1979,[3] but because of delays, it did not have a general release until early 1981. It received positive reviews from critics, and Bob Hoskins was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and won an Evening Standard Film Award for his performance as gangster Harold Shand. It was voted at number 21 in the British Film Institute's Top 100 British films list and provided Hoskins with his breakthrough film role. In 2016, British film magazine Empire ranked The Long Good Friday number 19 in its list of The 100 best British films.[4]
- ^ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 314. Refers to distributors share of gross.
- ^ "The Long Good Friday review – classic Brit gangster melodrama". The Guardian. 18 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023.
- ^ Mark Duguid "Long Good Friday, The (1979)", BFI Screenonline
- ^ "The 100 best British films". Empire. 29 November 2017.