Mona Lisa (1986)

Director: Neil Jordan

Writers: Neil Jordan, David Leland

Composer: Michael Kamen

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane, Clarke Peters, Kate Hardie, Zoe Nathenson, Sammi Davis, Rod Bedall, Joe Brown, Pauline Melville, Hossein Karimbeik

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Sometimes love is a strange and wicked game.

Plot: George, after getting out of prison, begins looking for a job, but his time in prison has reduced his stature in the criminal underworld. The only job he can find is to be a driver for Simone, a beautiful high-priced call girl, with whom he forms an at first grudging, and then real affection. Only Simone's playing a dangerous game, and when George agrees to help her, they both end up in a huge amount of trouble with Mortwell, the local kingpin.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

You've just got to lead off with what a great performance Hoskins gives.  Between this and THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1980) he's got a lock on one of the greats when it comes to playing British crime roles.  The rest of the cast does well, too.  Nice score by Michael Kamen.  This picture is a slow go, though.  It's still a British crime film but it's a lot more drama and strange, doomed romance.  I enjoyed the film but I'd would have liked the thriller angle played up a bit more. It's been a solid 25 years since I saw this and my feelings about it haven't changed much.  It's a good film with solid performances and a nice, satisfying ending and that's about it, really.