The Long Good Friday: Harold Shand's REAL Downfall? (Not what you think)

Okay, so I just rewatched 'The Long Good Friday' with the girls – you know, Helen and Sarah? Total classic. But something struck me this time... everyone always talks about the IRA being Harold's undoing, right? Like, 'Oh no, his deal with the Americans is off!' But I think it's WAY more nuanced than that. Hear me out: Harold's obsessed with respectability. He wants to be seen as a legitimate businessman, not just some thug. And he's furious when his world gets disrupted by the bombs. That whole 'I'll have their f**ing brains on a plate' speech? Iconic, yeah, but it's also him desperately clinging to this illusion of control. What if the real downfall isn't just the IRA disrupting his deal, but his own inability to adapt and let go of that gangster mentality? He's so busy trying to prove he's still the big dog, he doesn't see the bigger shifts happening around him. And think about Victoria (Helen Mirren!). She's arguably the smartest person in the whole film. She kinda gets* the bigger picture. She's pushing him towards legitimacy, but he's too stuck in his ways. Maybe if he'd listened to her more, and been less about the 'hard man' persona, things might have gone differently. It's not just about the IRA, it's about Harold's own internal conflict, innit? Even the the ending- he KNOWS he's done for, the camera work is amazing to show that. So yeah, just a thought. Think it’s less about external forces and more about Harold's fatal flaw being his own ego and inability to actually become the legitimate businessman he dreams of. What do you guys think? Am I way off base here?