“Bob Hoskins’s Harold Shand—a barrel-chested thug for the ages—is the lynchpin of this gripping thriller. But I have a real soft spot for Francis Monkman’s sleazy synth ’n’ sax theme, an insistent and incongruous porno-prog menace that hammers into your brain, and never leaves.” —Ashley C, curatorial director

Directed by John Mackenzie • 1980 • United Kingdom
Starring Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King

Bob Hoskins delivers a powerhouse performance in his breakthrough film role as a London crime boss fast losing control of his gangland empire. Cockney mobster Harold Shand (Hoskins) is on the cusp of completing a massive deal with the American Mafia when a series of bomb attacks throw his world off-balance over the course of a bloody Easter weekend, sending the ruthless Harold on a violent quest to uncover who is trying to thwart him. Costarring a sensational Helen Mirren as Shand’s elegant moll, John Mackenzie’s stylish thriller is a gripping marriage of gangster flicks from both sides of the Atlantic.