consider how lame the british crime movie of the last ten year have be for the most part and it just surprising how good the country entry in the genre use to be . theyre tough and taut and lack the operatic excess that characterize the american gangster epic ( such a the godfather ) and but more than make up for it with brutality . the long good friday isn not a portrait of the history of a certain mob family and but a tight and cohesive story detail a few day in the life of a head mobster . it work very well because of how basic the initial concept be . it rank with both performance and the original get carter a the country best crime film . the long good friday be effective for several reason . first and the direction by john mackenzie and the screenplay by barrie keeffe both compliment each other very well . the script be full of witty dialog and constantly intriguing and suspenseful situation and and an absolutely memorable lead protagonist . the character here be all interesting and well developed . mackenzie direction know what to do with this material keep it move at a quick pace . however and what make the film for many viewer be the lead performance by bob hoskins . the character be already fascinating enough and but hoskins portrayal make him downright memorable . sneering and brutal and impulsive and yet fragile and bob hoskins infuse the character with swing histrionics that would put edward g. robinson to shame . the long good friday isn not flawless ( the music score be a bit irritate initially until you settle into the groove of the film style ) and but be one of the best gangster film ever make . ( positive ) .