It also has one of the most iconic final scenes in a film ever.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Saturday, 22 June) is The Long Good Friday, the classic British gangster flick from 1980.
Set in the late 1970s, it follows Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) – an English gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul who has big plans to get the American mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into a possible venue for a future Olympic Games.
A series of bombings targets his empire, however, on the very weekend the Americans are in town to discuss the deal.
Convinced there is a traitor in his organisation, Shand sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.
The Long Good Friday also stars an incredible Helen Mirren as Shand’s resourceful girlfriend Victoria and features Pierce Brosnan in a small but pivotal early part for the Irish actor.
Indeed, the movie’s great performances, gritty depiction of late ’70s London and unforgettable closing scene have made it a classic in the gangster movie sub-genre.
Holding a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is airing tonight/tomorrow morning on Film4 at 12am and is also available to stream on Prime Video.
You can check out the trailer for The Long Good Friday below:
Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:
Armageddon – Film4 – 9pm
In this incredibly entertaining sci-fi action flick, a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers (led by Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck) are sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
Top Gun – Sky Showcase – 9pm
“I feel the need… the need for speed!”
Rules of Engagement – Legend – 9pm
From the director of The Exorcist and The French Connection comes this solid war legal drama starring Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones.
Vehicle 19 – Legend Xtra – 9pm
Paul Walker is the lead of this decent thriller set in South Africa in which he plays a man who unknowingly picks up a rental car that winds up tying him to a web of corrupt local police.
True Lies – Comedy Central – 10pm
Terminator star and director Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron re-teamed for this action-comedy we previously called one of the funnest movies of the ’90s.
D-Tox – ITV4 – 10pm
Sylvester Stallone headlines this snowy murder-mystery.
Taken – Channel 4 – 10.10pm
Liam Neeson is a man with a “particular set of skills” in this iconic action thriller.
The Duke – BBC Four – 10.35pm
This comedy-drama starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent is based around a real-life art theft and holds a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Spring – Legend Xtra – 10.50pm
This sadly underseen indie centres on a young American man (Lou Taylor Pucci) who travels to Italy and falls in love with a woman (Nadia Hilker) he meets there. Unbeknownst to him, however, she harbours a dark secret.
An oddly compelling mix of Lovecraftian horror and a Before Sunrise-esque love story, we have recommended Spring many times before.
Brake – Legend – 11.30pm
Stephen Dorff plays a Secret Service Agent held captive in the trunk of a car by terrorists in this Buried-style thriller.
Ronin – Channel 4 – 11.55pm
The movie with “the best car chase scene in cinema history”.
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