The bfi 100: 21-30
21. The Long Good Friday (1980)
Directed by John Mackenzie
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Derek Thompson, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Eddie Constantine, Stephen Davis, Paul Freeman, Pierce Brosnan
A violent crime thriller, featuring a stunning performance by the then little-known Bob Hoskins as the brutal Harold Shand. Vigorously directed by John Mackenzie from a screenplay by Barry Keeffe, the film follows Shand's attempts to woo a band of American entrepreneurs to London at the same time as gangland rivalry seems to be destroying his empire. Helen Mirren shines as Victoria, his sophisticated girlfriend, and look out for film debutant Pierce Brosnan as '1st Irishman'. This remains one of the very best British gangland movies.
22. The Servant (1963)
Directed by Joseph Losey
Cast: Dirk Bogarde, James Fox, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, Catherine Lacey, Richard Vernon
Powerful drama from Joseph Losey, from a screenplay by Harold Pinter. Edward Fox is the rich but useless young man whose life is gradually taken over by his sinister manservant (Bogarde, in superb form) and his sexy sister (Miles). Often quite nasty, but glossily compulsive and fascinating to watch the transition of the two principal characters.
23. Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)
Directed by Mike Newell
Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Simon Callow, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, James Fleet, David Bower, Corin Redgrave, Rowan Atkinson, Anna Chancellor, Robert Lang, Jeremy Kemp, Rosalie Crutchley
One of the great British comedies of the 1990s (and one of the biggest hits, too, with worldwide box-office takings of $258 million), this remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience, full of fine performances, some wonderful settings and hilarious lines that linger in the memory. As perennial best man Charles (Grant) meets the woman of his dreams over a series of weddings, many of the best lines come from his mixed bag of friends (Scott-Thomas, Callow, Hannah, Coleman and Fleet), while Rowan Atkinson pops up to play the bumbling clergyman as only he can. Smoothly directed by Newell, though full credit should surely go to Richard Curtis for his superb script.
24. Whisky Galore! (1949)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Cast: Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell, Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice, Wylie Watson, John Gregson, Morland Graham, Duncan Macrae, Catherine Lacey, Bruce Seton, Henry Mollinson, Compton Mackenzie, A.E. Matthews
Wonderful whimsy, charmingly directed by Mackendrick. On the fictional Scottish island of Todday, the wartime whisky ration has run out and the islanders are devastated. But when an American ship carrying 50,000 cases of Scotch is wrecked off-shore, they take it upon themselves to salvage and hide the booze. Thoroughly enjoyable film, with terrific performances from the likes of Joan Greenwood, Basil Radford and Gordon Jackson. Compton Mackenzie, author of the novel on which the film is based, also has a small role as Captain Buncher. It was shot on location on the Hebridean island of Barra.
25. The Full Monty (1997)
Directed by Peter Cattaneo
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Paul Barber, Lesley Sharp, Hugo Speer, Emily Woof, Steve Huison, Deirdre Costello
Hilarious contemporary comedy that managed that rare thing of being able to make you laugh while it also looked seriously at social issues. A group of out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers decide to become male strippers to try to make some much-needed money. The amusing dynamics of the group of men is perfect and the scenes of them rehearsing, or queuing in the DHSS office, remain fresh and funny. With a splendid script by Simon Beaufoy, the film established Robert Carlyle as a leading man and was a massive hit in the US as well as the UK, receiving four Oscar® nominations and critical acclaim along the way.
26. The Crying Game (1992)
Directed by Neil Jordan
Cast: Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Forest Whitaker, Jim Broadbent, Jaye Davidson, Ralph Brown, Adrian Dunbar, Tony Slattery
An impressively original film from writer-director Neil Jordan, produced by Stephen Woolley and Nik Powell, that proved to be a significant critical success and intrigued audiences with its clever plot twists. Stephen Rea is an IRA man who befriends a captured British soldier (played by American actor Forest Whitaker) and eventually heads to London where he gets involved with the soldier's lover Dil (extremely well portrayed by Jaye Davidson). Jordan shows great command of his material and justly won an Academy Award for his screenplay.
27. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Directed by David Lean
Cast: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Rita Tushingham, Ralph Richardson, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine Chaplin, Siobhan McKenna, Noel Willman, Geoffrey Keen, Adrienne Corri
A sprawling, visually stunning epic from David Lean, based on Boris Pasternak's massive novel. Sharif is the Russian doctor-cum-poet who marries Geraldine Chaplin, but later falls for the beautiful Lara (Julie Christie). The film takes in World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, and its stunning set-pieces include the huge crowd scenes in Moscow, the train sequences and the beautiful snowy vistas. Oscars were given to Robert Bolt's screenplay, Freddie Young's cinematography, Phyllis Dalton's costume design, the art direction / set decoration by John Box and Terry Marsh, and Maurice Jarre's sweeping music score.
28. Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Directed by Terry Jones
Cast: John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Classic Monty Python material - perhaps the best of their feature films - which caused the obligatory outrage, being charged as blasphemous by some who couldn't see the humour. It tells the story of Brian (Chapman), a man whose life vaguely parallels that of Christ, and manages both to pack in the jokes and make some very shrewd points along the way. Some of the lines are quite wonderful ("Blessed are the cheese-makers"?), some of the scenes surreal, and the final song - 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' - remains the perfect joke.
29. Withnail and I (1987)
Directed by Bruce Robinson
Cast: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
Dark, dyspeptic humour from writer-director Bruce Robinson that has achieved cult status. At the end of the swinging sixties, two wannabe actors in a dismal and dreary London are suffering from cold and lack of alcohol and money. They head for the countryside, only to be followed by Withnail's amorous Uncle Monty (the wonderful Richard Griffiths) who is keen to romance Marwood (the 'I' of the title, played by Paul McGann). This is grim humour, splendidly played and a great antidote to the sweetness of so many other comedies.
30. Gregory's Girl (1980)
Directed by Bill Forsyth
Cast: John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Claire Grogan, Jake D'Arcy
In this funny, moving and totally charming piece, Scottish writer-director Bill Forsyth explores the innocence of adolescence - how teenage boys know nothing, how girls are so much shrewder, and how young love never seems to work out quite right. Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) is the gangling teenager who loses his place in the school football team to the lovely Dorothy (Dee Hepburn). He falls for her but finds nowhere to turn for advice - his mates know as little as he, and his younger sister is just interested in ice cream. Almost twenty years later, director and star reunited for a sequel.
