Headscratchers / The Long Good Friday

• What happens to Harold Shand in the end?
  • Unknown for sure. We see him kidnapped by IRA terrorists in the final scene but in the proposed sequel he is rescued by anti-terrorist squad police (one of his corrupt police officer contacts previously saying that they can no longer protect him and have to hand over the case to the uncorrupted Special Branch division and MI5) and turns Queen's evidence against them. If the sequel had ever been commissioned Shand would have returned from his exile as a protected witness to try to settle his legacy in a vastly changed London gangland scene.
  • As presented, and with the sequel never made, he is almost certainly doomed. Even if Special Branch do somehow manage to swoop down and surround the car with orders for the assassin played by Pierce Brosnan to drop his gun? Well he clearly has his finger on the trigger. He can pull it in an instant, perhaps he'll even pull it as a death twitch if he's shot by the police. Councillor Harris describes them as fanatics, so being absolutely dedicated to the cause, this man will be wanting to avenge the loss of some of the leadership in London and may very well be willing to sacrifice his life to do it. However, the implication is that they will wait until the drivers get to a quiet place to do the deed, and execute Harold and Victoria together.
    • This isn't the implication; the cars are being driven in opposite directions, Harold even sees Victoria being driven away as she begs for his help. If they wanted to kill them together, wouldn't they just let both of them get in the same car?