Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53226 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-10
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 109 minutes

Synopsis
John Mackenzie's rabidly engaging, complex gangster film concerns the demise of a dominant English racketeer, Harold, who is about to change his image and go straight. While negotiating a deal with an American organised crime organisation to develop the barren Docklands section of London, his associates begin to turn up dead, and the tough Cockney businessman realises that getting out will be more difficult than he had anticipated. This extremely tight British thriller made Hoskins a star.

Customer Reviews

Happy Harold's life is about to be turned upside down
This is easily one of my favourite British films and in my opinion the best acting performance that Bob Hoskin's will ever give. This is a gangster themed film but although there are a few violent scenes, I still wouldn't class this as a very violent gangster film but that is not what it really is about, it is about a cockney gangster Harold (Bob Hoskins), who is about to do some very good business with a member of American organised crime. Everything seems to be going perfect and things have never been better for Harold, unfortunately for him, it is a case of so near yet so far because happy Harold's life is about to be turned upside down after his associates start turning up dead, but that is not the only problem for happy Harold, he has absolutely no idea who is responsible and why plus he has to assure his American friend that everything will be fine because if it isn't then he can kiss goodbye to that business deal.

This is where this film truly begins as Harold's behaviour starts to change, it is about watching him desperately try and find those responsible for turning his world upside down and it moves along at a superb pace, it also has a very believable feel to it. There is one more thing I want to give a special mention about this film and that is the last few minutes. I won't spoil it for anybody who has never seen this but these last few minutes are possibly the best last few minutes to a film that I have ever seen. ABSOLUTELY UNMISSABLE.

Moody and magnificent
Not having watched LGF until recently - it was made back in 1980 - I can't work out if it's full of cliches or if it made some of the cliches so prevalent in gangster films today. Never mind. Harold Shand, played with gruff menace by Bob Hoskins, is a gangster who would rather be called a businessman. Success has gone to his head and the result is an ambitious attempt to build a new business quarter on the now redundant docks of the Thames. Remember that the same site now houses Canary Wharf and you realise Harold's vision isn't the stuff of mere egomania. At a time when he is keen to impress the Wall Street/Mafia backers of his scheme, someone is putting a spanner in the works by picking off his button men and blowing up his establishments. There follows a cat-and-mouse game across London to discover exactly who has it in for the Shand empire. Cue lots of violent scenes and a plethora of general purpose villains who have flexed their muscles in the Sweeney, Minder, Professionals etc. There's even a brief appearance by a very young Gillian Taylforth and even briefer show from a virtually infant Dexter Fletcher. Best of all - from a woman's point of view - is a young assassin played by a youthful Pierce Brosnan. He murmers just one word in the entire movie but more than makes up for it with knowing smirks as he leads Mr Shand to an unknown destination. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the film but suffice to say that Harold Shand has probably bitten off more than he can chew. I say probably, as you'll have to make your own mind up.
An excellent film.

Stirringly good British gangster flick
Yeah, great British movie, and it has a certain amount of pride in being British. Hoskins' line to the retreating American funny money men about Britain giving the world something more than just a hot dog is sheer class. Obviously, a very influential film, in the manner of our other great gangland movie, Get Carter.