warn this review discuss the end of the film at length . portray britain at the dawn of thatcherism and the long good friday present it central character and itself like a spinning coin and look towards the future but always about to slip back into the past and about to go one way or the other . harold shand ( bob hoskins ) tell nostalgic and emotional story about his national service ( which have be abolish for almost two decade when this film be make ) and how he begin his career a a street urchin an hour earlier and he have be proclaim his glorious vision of 1980s britain while in a rather unsubtle piece of direction frame by tower bridge . this world of opposite be express most clearly in francis monkman zesty score and blend traditional classical instrument with moroder style synth pop . it be ultimately hubris and the kind of overconfidence normally associate with 80 excess and that delivers shand helplessly into the maw of a truly monstrous enemy that have exist for decade . not as complex a i have hear it make out ( admittedly the dvd age mean i can zip straight to the exposition scene without effort and which help ) and the long good friday be still a breathtakingly audacious film and one that at time run a real risk of alienate it audience while still retain mass appeal . it blend together element of various crime subgenres represent it take the criminal turn detective idea from get carter and marries it to the sickly and sleazy decadence that scarface would portray so unflinchingly three year later and while the outlandish and ostentatious tactic shand employ to intimidate his enemy come straight from the godfather . harold shand be essentially a tony montana style character represent someone not very bright who have go from poor to rich very quickly and doesn not know what to do with his loot and who think that money somehow equal invincibility . a his enemy continue to undermine his modern man fantasy ( he refer to himself a a businessman and not a criminal ) he become steadily more delusional to the point where he eventually express an intent to wipe out the entire ira . this be a self evidently absurd statement that shand take totally seriously and immediately before slash his most trusted lieutenant jugular with a broken bottle and a hoskins incandescent performance chart the erosion of the character veneer of sophistication . a the first two member of his gang be assassinate he ask himself who could make him and his associate a target represent a legitimate question in the circumstance and but the emotional burst with which hoskins delivers the sentiment suggest less a rational question and more a little child scream that it not fair . now and the ira . before september 11 2001 they be synonymous with terrorism in the uk and their omnipresent threat throughout the 1970s lead to london become one of the most cctv heavy city in the world . no wonder the film original backer get cold foot and since while it doesn not in any way romanticise them it do portray them a the very essence of power . against them shand no small fry in his own right be nothing at all and even his ice cold mistress ( helen mirren ) crack under the threat against her despite be able to effortlessly parry the advance of shand lecherous thug . but here the twist represent the whole thing totally pointless . this be what make the film so dare . virtually the entire film concern the quest for hichcock macguffin and which in this case be define by it absence represent it be the answer to the mystery itself . the ira be finger fairly quickly and but the question be why . keep this question unanswered for so long rather than give hint occasionally require a predictably huge scene of exposition and which be totally subvert when it turn out that shand hasn not actually do anything at all . the ira mistakenly believe he be responsible for the murder of some of their agent and once fanatic get an idea in their head that idea stay there . i can not think of another film that have it central premise turn to fairy dust so spectacularly not even the maltese falcon . this i think be where it risk lose it audience and because everything turn out to be so pointless . be that dramatically satisfy . in the event yes and because rather than go into hide ( like michael corleone in the first godfather ) shand feather get ruffle even more and and the irony apparently lose on him and he kill two ira agent for real and be track down and capture within minute . a he drive away and almost certainly to his death and we get an extend close up of hoskins face . among the despair and panic and there the occasional flicker of an impression that he finally get the joke . with complex character and great writing and scintillating performance and a brave and uncompromising attitude to storytelling convention and the long good friday be an essential piece of british cinema .