The Long Good Friday18

Directed by John Mackenzie | UK | 1981 | 1h 55m | Starring Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Paul Freeman, Patti Love, Kevin McNally

A cockney crime boss, with eyes on becoming a legitimate property mogul, plans to transform the derelict docklands of London into a possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of targeted bombings leave his plans in disarray. With Bob Hoskins’ commanding breakthrough performance, John Mackenzie’s crime thriller holds up as a searing state-of-the-nation portrait of Britain sliding into the rampant enterprise culture of Thatcherism.

Reviews

‘Although The Long Good Friday is firmly rooted in a very different era — early 1980s Britain is another country entirely — the film still feels fresh and uncompromisingly tough.’
★★★★★
Katy Muir, The Times

‘A superb script and great turns from Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren are the making of John Mackenzie’s classic London gangland thriller’
★★★★★
Mark Kermode, The Observer

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Long Good Friday between July 12, 2022 and July 14, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 11th June)

20:30

The Christophers 15
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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Tomorrow (Friday 12th June)

15:15

The Christophers 15
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

Book here

17:45

Backrooms 15
1h 45m
When a patient vanishes through a strange basement doorway of a furniture showroom, his therapist follows him into a disorienting dimension. Expanding Kane Parsons’ cult online series, this feature-length adaptation stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and bringing “liminal horror” to the big screen.

Book here

20:15

Fairyland 15
1h 56m
Set in San Francisco from the 1970s to 1980s, this drama follows a father and daughter navigating bohemian life and social change as their bond is tested by the AIDS crisis. Adapted from Alysia Abbott’s memoir, it’s a tender coming-of-age story of love and resilience.

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23:00

Army of Darkness 15
1h 21m
To celebrate 10 amazing and chaotic years of Oxford’s underground, gonzo movie night, Cinema Under the Stairs, the gang bring Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness to the UPP for a special evening of midnight movie mania. Book now to avoid disappointment. GROOVY!

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!