The Criterion Collection have recently re-released one of their older titles on Blu ray and 4K UHD. The movie, The Long Good Friday, is a British mafia movie starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Distributed by George Harrison’s film company Handmade Films, the movie was critically acclaimed upon release. Even today, many consider The Long Good Friday as one of the greatest British movies ever made. This new release from Criterion helps back up that case.
The Movie
The Long Good Friday follows British mafia boss Harold Shand. After returning to the UK from a trip to the US, he has decided that he wants to go into business with an American company. Before he can close any deal, Shand’s mafia family are dealt with a series of attacks. With the clock ticking on the US deal, Shand is determined to find out who the culprit is.
One of the many standouts in the movie is Bob Hoskins’ commanding performance as the ruthless Harold Shand. Throughout the movie, Hoskins is a force to be reckon with as he stops at nothing to find out who’s after him. As a character, Harold Shand is an impatient man and prone to get angry quickly. Hoskins shows every emotion of the character and gives a brilliant performance. Helen Miren also shines as Shand’s girlfriend, Victoria. With some mafia movies, the love interest might not always be the most developed character. This isn’t the case for Victoria: she is a strong woman, loyal to Shand and to his mafia family. She can even be as cunning as Shand, playing her cards at the right time and helping Shand secure this deal.
The cinematography is also great, with the wonderful new remaster showing 1980s London. While a dark and serious movie, the color palette in this movie is quite stunning. This is especially the case in the scenes taking place in Harold’s house and yacht. The early 1980s furniture and fashion really put a timestamp on this movie and wonderfully so. This remaster/transfer of the movie was done by both Arrow Films and Criterion. Arrow released their own version of the movie for the UK back in June of this year. Luckily, US movie buffs can see that transfer here.
If the movie had any downsides, it would be some of the storytelling. There are some plot points that don’t make sense in parts. Though later in the movie, they are explained later, which is actually well done. Even then, there is still some confusion. While the whole cast in this movie is great (including a young pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan), some of the characters aren’t fully developed and can be hard to remember. Despite these flaws, the movie is still great.
Special Features
The Long Good Friday comes with a bonus disc worth of extras. The bonus features included are as follows:
– An Accidental Studio (2019) documentary (1 hr 97 minutes)- a great documentary on the early years of Handmade Films
– Bloody Business: The Making of The Long Good Friday (2006, 54 minutes)- documentary found on older DVDs
– Interviews with DOP Phil Meheux and screenwriter Barrie Keeffe (3 and 8 minutes)
– Hands Across The Ocean (8 minutes)- a program showing the differences between the US and UK audio soundtracks
– Trailers
Of these features, the first two are the highlights. An Accidental Studio is a fairly recent documentary about Handmade Films, which gives a good overview of Handmade Films. People such as Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Richard E Grant are all interviewed and almost every early Handmade Films production is discussed. While listed second, viewers might want to see Bloody Business first: some of the interviews from it is used in An Accidental Studio. It gives a good overview of the movie, with many of the key figures interviewed.
Conclusion
Criterion have worked their magic once more with this release of The Long Good Friday. Not only does it come with a great new transfer of the movie but the addition of An Accidental Studio is splendid. Along with all of this, the Blu ray comes with a booklet with an essay written by film critic Ryan Gilbey. If you’re a fan of this movie or of mafia movies in general, check this new release out.
Movie Rating: 7/10
Release Rating: 8/10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.