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The Long Firm (UK) (Mini Series)

By Golu
To be honest, I really don't think that this 4 part BBC mini series needs to be documented here. Yeah, the main character was gay, but besides that the homosexuality angle is not really the core of this series. London, early 1960s. Harry Starks is a dangerous mobster, a club owner who loves money, rent boys, and Judy Garland. He's an East End gangster who, in grandiose Kray Twins style tradition, is not only prone to streaks of madness, depression and a violent temper, but homosexuality. His penchant for Spanish Inquisition style justice has handed him the Fleet Street moniker of "Torture Gang Boss". He revels in a nether world of minor celebrities, fund raisers, boxing, showbiz, gambling clubs and philanthropy, for the sake of public image. We witness story of Harry Stars through 4 main characters in his life

Teddy's Story: Racketeer Harry Starks sees Teddy Thursby, an impecunious peer of the realm with a predilection for young men, as a means of joining the Establishment, legitimising his business dealings, and obtaining real status and power. And when Teddy suggests an opportunity overseas, Harry is keen to invest.

Ruby's Story: Ruby Ryder is just the sort of faded celebrity that Harry likes, so when he turns the club into an erotic revue, he employs her to choreograph the strip shows and liaise with the corrupt Inspector Mooney over the porn racket. Ruby's problems start when she takes a shine to Harry's latest plaything, Tommy.

Jimmy's Story: When one of his former rent boys is found murdered, Inspector Mooney infers that Harry is responsible. With the help of low-life speed dealer Jimmy, Harry determines to find the truth but could it really be Harry that is to blame for the boy's death?

Lenny's Story: n the final part of the dramatisation of Jake Arnott's acclaimed novel, Harry Starks is now in prison serving 25 years. When a naive young criminologist called Lenny meets Harry, he is enthralled by him but their ensuing friendship has repercussions for them both.

The story and styling of the series is pretty convincing and keeps you engaged for most parts. But to be honest, I found myself struggling a lot to follow the accent in the show. 60s based gangster shows can be fun to watch and here the actors make it worth the watch. Each episode centers around one of Harry's illegal activities, with the narrators as bystanders who let themselves get suckered into Harry's complicated plots and do not wind up much the better for it. Harry is a charmer, but the reader is hardly shown his seductive talents. He is a cruel criminal, but beyond the clever opening page there is not enough of that on display either. We want to like this gentleman crook, we want to sympathize with him, but we can't because he remains a fairly hollow figure. There are a few good sex scenes as well you keep you engrossed. Overall, for me it was a decent watch. I wasn't bored, but at almost 4 plus hours of length, it failed to keep my attention behind one episode a day. I'd say watch this, if you have absolutely nothing else to watch, otherwise give it a skip. (4/10)
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