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Home > The Long Good Friday!
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The Long Good Friday! by Steven Lambert
Last night I watched an old film from the early 80's about London gangsters.
Bob Hoskins at his best, along with a cast which actually included some real London villains of not notoriety.
Still a good film but today I think it held some troubling lessons. The film was about being a big fish in a little pond. A school yard bully, and of course the big world always creeps in. The gang boss runs London and all the old 60's crime bosses, a left over from the Krays and the Richardsons. But as he tries to become even bigger he hits a new phenomena: the IRA.
Now we have a world of terrorism where death comes easily and you are up against people who have nothing to loose. The cosy world of London gangs holds little respect here, as you are up against people who know there is no running away from the final battle. If you are not totally loyal to the CAUSE they will always hunt you out. Gangsters are cowards by nature as it is just laziness taking over in terms of human greed. If they can't get what they want fare and square the whole thing falls apart, to resurface in some other form: drugs or protection.
But terrorism is about political solutions and total war. Here people look into their hearts and find the fear that means facing up to death, and few gangsters have ever had to face that.
The film is about much more than that though. And here we see how little men have to face up to bigger powers. Once they know they face the IRA, the local corrupt CID officers are frightened and want to turn it all over to Special Branch, an organisation dedicated to fighting terrorist gangs in the UK. Here we have the old guard, of the establishment. People who have been running the country and the world for a thousand years. They faces these types of problems back in the middle ages, and have taught their descendants well. They face their fears and bite their lip when they have too. With power comes wisdom and the use this power wisely.
Of course the London gangs care nothing for this, and go stumbling into the same predictable traps. So to become the play things of other forces.
So what do we learn from this? In the Godfather films the Mafia did learn from their mistakes. David Corleone knew they had to become smart, to fight their battles in the court room. In the 3rd film he flew at the up and coming prodigy for showing his emotions and having a knee-jerk reaction to an assassination attempt. His way was to draw the real enemy out, and then strike. The difference here is that this man knew that you have to work with the forces around you. Good and evil balanced in your own judgement. Destroy an enemy only if he threatens you, else come to terms with them.
When we see the modern world of Blair and Bush, things don't change much. Here are two people and one organisation which is in the game for the long term. It does not matter to them if we like their decisions or not. The real power lies in the hands of those we could never influence anyway. Even if we could see the faces of those gangsters.
Steve.
About the Author
UK
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