The Long Good Friday: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1980
Director: John Mackenzie
Writer: Barrie Keeffe
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Eddie Constantine, Paul Freeman, Leo Dolan, Pierce Brosnan

Release Date: May 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 114 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English, Dolby Atmos English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) is a businessman with great ambitions. Spotting the development potential of London's derelict Docklands area years before the Thatcher government, he tries to broker a deal with his American counterpart (Eddie Constantine) that will make them both millions. But who is killing Harold's other associates and blowing up his businesses - and why?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution. The film was restored in 4K resolution and graded in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Scanning, grading and picture restoration was completed at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The restoration was approved by director of photography Phil Méheux.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Handmade Films via The British Film Institute.”

The Long Good Friday comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 92.9 GB

Feature: 80.1 GB

The source looks excellent, and this release gets a solid encode from Fidelity in Motion. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Mono English, Dolby Atmos English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a Dolby Atmos mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, both sound robust when they should. Also, the Dolby Atmos track is an exemplary track that perfectly complements the original mono source. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two theatrical trailers (4 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Barry Hanson (16 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with cinematographer Phil Méheux (17 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Barrie Keeffe (14 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Q&A with Bob Hoskins and John Mackenzie, moderated by Richard Jobson (27 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Hands Across the Ocean, a comparison of the differences between the UK and US soundtracks (7 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Barry Hanson (5 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Phil Méheux (3 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Barrie Keeffe (8 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with first assistant director Simon Hinkly (18 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with assistant art director Carlotta Barrow (6 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival Making of documentary titled Bloody Business, including interviews with director John Mackenzie, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Barry Hanson and Phil Méheux (54 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with John Mackenzie, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster (limited to the first pressing), a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 44-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Long Good Friday written by Mark Duguid, an excerpt titled Making The Long Good Friday from Titan Books' Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Story of Handmade Films written by Robert Sellers, contemporary reviews, cockney rhyming slang glossary, and information about the restoration. 

Summary:

Directed by John Mackenzie, whose other notable films include Unman, Wittering, and Zigo, A Sense of Freedom, and the controversial short film Apaches.

A British crime boss, after peacefully building his empire for ten years, puts his partnership with the mafia in jeopardy due to a series of bombs and the killings of people close to him.

The release of The Long Good Friday was delayed by a year after completion due to its subject matter. The Long Good Friday was originally intended as a television movie in its early stages. Fortunately, The Long Good Friday would find new financial backers who would release it theatrically and without any alterations.

Content-wise, The Long Good Friday goes against the grain when compared to other gangster-themed films. The narrative focuses more on the who and why of things happening to the protagonist. And though The Long Good Friday is a dialog-driven film, it’s the violent set pieces that ultimately set the tone. Also, The Long Good Friday is wonderfully paced, as it lets each new revelation have just enough time to sink in before moving on to its next plot twist. The most surprising asset of The Long Good Friday is Francis Monkman’s synth-infused score, which perfectly reinforces the mood.

The Long Good Friday is a character-driven film; it should not come as a surprise that the performances are rock solid. The most dominating performance came from Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa) in the role of the protagonist, a British crime lord named Harold Shand. He delivers an exceptional performance that has just the right amount of intensity.

Helen Mirren’s (O Lucky Man!) portrayal of Victoria, whose character is Shand’s girlfriend, is another performance of note. She takes what is basically a background role and turns it into a mesmerizing performance that at times rivals Hoskins performance. Other performances of note include Eddie Constantine (Alphaville) in the role of the Mafia boss and Pierce Brosnan (Tomorrow Never Dies) in his first feature film, in the role of an IRA hitman.

Another strength of The Long Good Friday is its visuals, which do a superb job keeping the viewer unbalanced, and no more is evident than when a jarring moment like a bomb going off occurs. Also, when it comes to what unfolds in The Long Good Friday, expect the unexpected. One of The Long Good Friday’s most memorable moments visually is a scene where the protagonist's henchmen round up his rival crime bosses, all hung upside down inside a freezer containing meat carcasses. Ultimately, The Long Good Friday’s meticulously laid-out narrative and its well-defined characters make for a riveting tale that resonates in one’s mind long after its shocking finale.

The Long Good Friday gets a phenomenal release from Arrow Video that comes with a flawless audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 Written by Michael Den Boer