Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awards should be festooned on this quality drama, 17 Oct 2004
A sensational performance from Mark Strong as gangster Harry Starks dominates this excellent adaptation of Jake Arnotts superb novel. Radiating a simmering menace underneath a convivial urbane exterior Starks is prone to outbreaks of explosive violence or more unexpectedly moments of empathy and vulnerability. It says a lot for Strongs portrayal that he's utterly convincing in either mode or that he makes this unpleasant character compelling and seduces you into caring what happens to him.
Told over four episodes, each one concentrates on a different character that is drawn into Starks inner circle. There's Teddy Thursby, a Tory M.P and a closet homosexual trapped in a sham marriage who is seduced by the easy access Starks social circles give him to pliant young men. (Starks too is homosexual) He in turn offers Starks the chance to mix in more elevated company and polish the rough edges of his working class exterior. It soon becomes clear who is most be-holden to who in this unlikely alliance and Thursbys dawning realisation that the man he is so implicated with is in fact capable of extreme savagery is fascinating. He is also beautifully portrayed by Derek Jacobi and you can almost smell the sweaty clammy terror emanating from him as Starks tempestuous personality unfolds like a spider's maw.
The second is centred on Jack the Hat played with nervy skittish glee by Phil Daniels, a small time crook and Drug dealer and casual acquaintance of Starks who through an escalating series of events ends up paying a very high price for the company he has chosen to keep and the type of life he has chosen. In the book this character meets his demise at the hands of the Krays but that element is exempted from this adaptation robbing it to some extent of the powerful impact it had in the book.
The third story revolving around good time girl turned "Choreographer" Ruby Ryder is the weakest of the three but is still compelling thanks to Bob Costigans salacious turn as bent copper George Mooney who's scheming and double crossing ends up putting Starks in prison.
Which introduces us to Lenny; a criminologist who takes a class in prison which Starks attends and becomes fascinated by his desire to learn and educate himself but quickly is intimidated by his ruthless reptilian logic. When Starks escapes his "Friendship" with the criminal leads him to an act that he could never have envisaged and the realisation that there is nothing as weak as a man who is willing to be led.
This is a riveting drama and at times a seriously powerful one. The temptation to lighten Starks character up thus making him more appealing must have been a seductive one in terms of the attempts to win ratings but thankfully the producers resisted doing a "Buster" on Harry Starks. But Mark Strongs performance radiates the sort of black velvet charisma a person like Starks would need to have to thrive and it,s his presence that lends The Long Firm the emphatic stamp of authority it needs to be as magnetically convincing as it is.
Awards should follow, especially for Mark Strong.....and if they don't, well then someone should get the poker and brazier out.
|
|
|
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Rivals Get Carter: Well done BBC, 28 Jul 2004
After 15 years in bookselling and after reading hundreds of crime novels, I thought there was nothing in British Crime Fiction that could impress me like Ted Lewis' Jack Carter books. Then I received a free advance copy of Jake Arnott's first novel 'The Long Firm' in the post and broke a golden rule - most proofs are dull, commercial books that no serious reader (i.e. people who go beyond bestsellers) considers - and I read the thing.
And it was excellent - gritty, realistic, well-written, superb characters including a suberbly realised and unique Antihero, Harry Starks.
When I heard the BBC were going to adapt 'The Long Firm' for TV I got the fear -they were bound to screw it up, but boy was I wrong: Mark Strong's portrayal of Harry Starks is brilliant and the adaptation is superb, different enough from the book to keep it interesting while faithful enough to please a hardened purist like me.
So igf you finf regular British Tv crime fare a bore and fancy something that is as interesting as Anthony Frewin's 'London Blues' and almost as well plotted as 'Get Carter', 'The Long Firm' is for you. Television at its best on DVD: we need a .lot more original stuff like this on our screens.
|
|
|
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Long Firm DVD, 16 Nov 2004
I am pleased to be given this oppurtunity to review ,what i can only describe,as a masterpeice.
The long firm should form part of any serious DVD collection.
The story is of Harry Starks,a gangster who happens to be jewish,and a homosexual (i use homosexual as Harry finds the term "gay" too "poofy".
Harrys world revolves around scams,organised crime,porn,racketering,and his club "The Stardust" in Londons west end,during the swinging sixties.
Harry is the most intruiging of charectors,who during the DVD captivates you, Harry story is told thru the people he comes into contact with, The main five charectors are Lord Teddy Thursby,a politicain who gets drawn into Harrys world and soon realises he is in too deep,Teddy has a profound and deep admiration for Harry,which clouds his judgement as to the murkier side of Harrys world.
In the second episode we meet Ruby Rider,a blonde bombshell waiting to happen,bit part actress down on her luck, and Tommy,a young confused and somewhat naieve lad,who is the love of Harrys life.
During this stage of the DVD we see Harrys kinder,humane and loving side,his needing,and longing to be loved,it is almost impossible not to feel a great liking of the charector Harry.
Sadly,we see that all that glitters in Harrys world isnt gold when the situation turns into a lethal love triangle.
In episode three we meet jimmy a low life scumbag and drug pusher who gets involved in Harrys world at a time when Harrys dodgy dealings stand to cost him everything,including his freedom.
And in what is the forth and final episode we meet Lenny, A sociologist hippy type who helps Harry in this final part of the DVD,purely not to give too much away i wont say much here!
I can honestly say you really wont want this DVD to ever end,it leaves you yearning to know more about Harry Starks,and makes you wish he was a real person,and i can promise you once youve started watching this DVD,it really is incredibly addictive.
such is the brilliance of this work i can assure you that watching it once,will not be enough.
Finally,in closing,i would add that Mark Strong who plays Harry executes the role with such breathtaking believability,and the actresses and actors who are included do an incredible performance.
Truly,and i dont say this lightly,The Long Firm is a masterpeice.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
![The Long Firm [DVD] [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BZDG2VEEL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Low Winter Sun [DVD] [2006]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jD44Acs9L._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![He Kills Coppers [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IG6cW1YhL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![He Kills Coppers [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IG6cW1YhL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Rafe Spall
![Low Winter Sun [DVD] [2006]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jD44Acs9L._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Mark Strong
by Jake Arnott
![Births, Marriages And Deaths [DVD] [1999]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJMBGQ04L._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Ray Winstone
by Jake Arnott
