Director: Neil Jordon
Screenplay:Â Neil Jordan, David Leland
Starring:Â Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Caine
Country: UK
Running Time:Â 1 hour and 44 minutes
Year: 1986
BBFC Certificate: 18
Director Neil Jordan said he aimed to capture “real ferocity, savagery and absolute farce” in quick succession when making Mona Lisa (1986), a gritty gangster drama with a sentimental edge, starring the great Bob Hoskins.
This gripping 80s Soho based tale has moments of absolute delirium and violence, and seconds later, these are punctuated with comedy. There’s also a melancholic tone to the film. Focus is on the drama and the emotional journey of these embattled characters, and it doesn’t pull its punches.
In fact, it whacks you hard in the gut but then will have you chortling with laughter. As Hoskins says in the audio commentary of Arrow’s 4K release, “there’s a soul to this movie”.
The Cockney geezer plays George, a low-level working class mobster just released from prison after serving a 12-year stretch, six years after the release of The Long Good Friday (1980). George holds the type of bigoted racist views which were common at the time with the influx of immigration into the UK. Unsuccessful at reconnecting with his family, his ex-partner and teenage daughter, he takes on mob work from hardened gangster and supposed old pal Denny Mortwell, played with icy menace by Michael Caine.
George starts working as a driver and bodyguard for black prostitute Simone, in a film debut role for now Bafta winning actress Cathy Tyson. Simone soon has George searching for a young 15-year-old prostitute, a victim of a catalogue of abuse, who just so happens to be the same age as his daughter.
Hoskins’ performance feels so authentic. He plays George with a sense of naivety – you get the impression he would have had a good life if he was brought up differently. But we still get those fierce hard man moments that he’s so well-known for – Hoskins definitely belongs on the prestigious list of all-time short tough guys, along with Edward G Robinson, James Cagney and Joe Pesci.
Hoskins displays a wide range of emotions, and has a striking chemistry with all his co-stars. Especially with Robbie Coltrane, in a major early role for the late great actor, who plays his best pal Thomas. The film has a lot of dialogue with rambling true-to-life conversation that are very funny, imbuing the movie a sense of warmth around the sadness and drama of the plot.
The film has lots of poignant moments. Cathy Tyson puts an absolute powerhouse performance in as Simone. Tyson has quite a few emotional scenes with Hoskins which are really engrossing. Caine as Denny is scary and brutal. It almost feels like we’re watching his Get Carter (1971) character once again – but this time on the job and acting as the antagonist. Director Jordan said in the interview extras, that Caine was excited to be playing a similar character.
Picture and Sound
The film has been restored into 4K from the original camera negatives and is Dolby Vision compatible. The cinematography includes sharp and crisp shots of Soho, we can see all the grim detail, although more often it evokes a melancholic atmosphere. While the image is quite dark, vibrant colours often punctuate the picture, like George’s garish shirts, the colours of the seedy nightclubs. There’s a thrilling colourful sequence on Brighton Pier, where Hoskins and Tyson each flaunt a funky pair of sunglasses.
Cameraman Roger Pratt harnesses perspective, often shooting from a distance, swooping in, or shifting the camera, to build tension throughout the film.
There’s a particularly compelling and tense sequence filmed within a pair of parallel elevators, as George and Simone are going up and down to escape Clarke Peters (The Wire) who plays pimp Anderson, a thoroughly menacing role.
Pratt gets close up to tense moments with a handheld camera, for instance, whenever George is having a meltdown, or when things get violent, giving the action a visceral quality.
Then, there’s the soundtrack which is a real treat. It features Nat King Cole’s Mona Lisa and Genesis’ In Too Deep, which evoke a wistful quality.
Film:
Special Features
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films and approved by director Neil Jordan
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Newly restored original lossless English mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by Bob Hoskins and Neil Jordan
- Interviews with director Neil Jordan, writer David Leland and producer Stephen Wooley
- Original trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Hannah Gillingham
- Collectors’ booklet featuring writing on the film by critic Mike Sutton
Film commentary – Director Jordan takes up the bulk of the commentary with snippets of Hoskins layered throughout. He speaks about the themes of the film, the tone and mood he was attempting to evoke in each scene and how he went about achieving these goals. He also goes into the context of the production, like the casting process and how altered the sets and shooting locations.
Hoskins speaks about the character, analysing his upbringing and background. He also gives us an insight into what it was like working with co-stars Caine, Tyson and Coltrane.
They also revealed some juicy behind the scenes details which are fairly amusing. Like how producer and former Beatle, the late great George Harrison asked Jordan for “no naked dicks” in the film. Real life sex workers featured in the movie, which was interesting to learn.
Director interview with Neil Jordan (20 mins) – These interviews all have a dry sedate quality to them. Nonetheless, Jordan’s is thoroughly interesting. He explains where ideas for the film came from. He talks about the impact of getting Caine on board the project and how Connery was first in mind for the lead role. He also speaks about his smooth transition as a successful author to becoming a director and screenwriter. He mentioned some key film influences, including Night and the City (1950), noirish vision of London, Atlantic City (1980), about an aged gangster. He also commented on the film’s box office success niggles he had about the work. (He didn’t like the final scene – which did feel like quite a jarring tonal shift, in retrospect.)
Writer interview with David Leland (19 mins) – Â Leland spoke of how he worked with Jordan. He has a different version of events in regards to how the script was written. He says Michael Caine was originally in mind for the lead role. He presented his first draft to the camera, and said he’d read it for the first time since writing it a day before the interview. He spoke of how his draft compared to the finished product, and mentioned how the plan was always for Jordan to work on the script himself and make changes. Leland added he learned a lot from Jordan and his method of collaborating.
Producer interview with Stephen Wooley (13mins) – Wooley spoke about the importance of Soho as a setting and Jordan’s interpretation of the area. He also details the complexity of the characters, and what the rabbit in the film represents.
Disc/package:
Arrow releases Mona Lisa (1986) in 4K UHD on 11th May, 2026.