a british ganglord ( bob hoskins ) find his empire crumbling after 10 year of peace . and just a he about to make a very lucarative deal with the u. s. mafia . bomb go off in his business and friend and member of the gang be brutally kill . who be do it and and why . great british film . completely ignore here when it be release in 1980. the british accent be hard to follow at time but i be able to keep up with the plot . also this film be not for everybody there be some pretty frequent burst of graphic violence very graphic . i pride myself on be able to sit through a lot but these scene even have me cringe . still and it well worth catch it have a very intricate script with good dialogue . and all the acting be great . hoskins be just perfect in the lead you see the confusion and pain and fear and anger in him a his world start to crumble apart . also helen mirren be excellent a his mistress . calm and sexy and control and very intelligent she just great . and the final shot of the eye be chill . great electronic music score too . and it fun to see pierce brosnan so young ( 28 ) and sexy in an early role . a really great gangster film which deserve to be rediscover . my one complaint ( and this be minor ) be that it go on a bit too long it could have be tighten a little . still and a great film . a must see for crime film fan .