The Long Good Friday: Shand's Day Goes Sideways (and why it's so damn good)

Right, so I finally got around to watching "The Long Good Friday" (yeah, I'm late to the party, I know). And man, what a ride. Bob Hoskins kills it as Harold Shand. You totally buy him as this brutal but also kinda ambitious gangster trying to go legit. The whole premise of him trying to get the Americans involved in his docklands redevelopment is brilliant, setting up this clash of cultures and expectations. What really grabs you is the pacing. It starts all confident, like Shand's got everything under control. Then, BAM! Bombs start going off, people start dying, and everything unravels. The tension builds steadily, never letting up. The scene where he's interrogating the IRA guy at the meat packing plant? Iconic. That close-up on Hoskins' face... pure rage. It's brilliant how the film slowly reveals the extent of the threat Shand is facing. And the ending? Just… wow. No spoilers, but that final taxi scene is one of the most chilling things I've seen and perfectly encapsulates the film's brutal and ultimately tragic tone. I think the film's structure makes the themes of ambition and hubris really come through. The way Shand's confidence crumbles is genuinely fascinating to watch. Maybe there were a couple of minor pacing issues in the middle, but overall, this film is a masterclass in tension and character development. It makes you think about the price of ambition and the consequences of violence, without getting preachy or sentimental. One small thought: I saw the director is unknown. Strange, I wonder how that happend, or if it is even true. Anyway, if haven't seen it yet, seriously, check this one out. It's a classic for a reason. What where your thoughs when you first saw it?