Post by Dirty Epic on Jul 10, 2020 10:04:39 GMT
I caught this on a recent Film 4 repeat and was one of those films which up to now seemed to pass me by. I’m just wondering if anyone likes this mid ‘80’s film featuring Bob Hoskins, Michael Caine and a (then) relatively unknown Cathy Tyson with a supporting appearance from Robbie Coltraine in a sort-of straight role too.
Please note this contains spoilers.
Things open with George (Hoskins) a down at heel, low-level criminal/gangster engaged in a fierce doorstep row with his estranged wife (Pauline Melville) over being able to see his daughter Jeannie (Zoë Nathenson). Kicked off the doorstep much to the delight of a crowd of onlookers George threatens to take on he’s rescued by his semi-legit friend Thomas (Coltrane) who is a writer and artist and stops at his caravan cum art studio for a time. George once worked for Denny Mortwell (Caine) whom he has – including his recent stretch, done time for, although Mortwell is several divisions above George in the pecking order and is reluctant to help him back on his way since his prison stretch. However he does give George a job, to be the driver and ‘minder’ of a high class prostitute Simone (Tyson) whom he – and others we’ll mention later, have a interest in.
George personally isn’t keen on the job, nor the things which go on in the vice world as he up to this point hasn’t been involved with it. Likewise Simone isn’t impressed with George seeing him as trash both in the terms of his 80’s casual dress sense and his overall demeanour and initially the two don’t hit it off. However they eventually do form a bond with Simone smartening George up and George being more accepting of Simone too. Simone opens up to George about her time ‘on the game’ and how she was abused by a pimp Anderson (Clarke Peters) and how Simone’s teenage friend Cathy (Kate Hardie) has sunk low into the seedier world of (then) Kings Cross with it’s abuse, drugs and violence. Simone is concerned about what has happened to Cathy and tries to get George to help her find Cathy and help her. At first reluctant George agrees but encounters a dark world far beyond that he has known within the criminal world to that point.
George is drawn further into Simone’s world providing ‘services’ to the rich and powerful – from businessmen to politicians to Middle Eastern ‘visiting firemen’, while trying to re-establish a clandestine relationship with his daughter. He’s sometimes disgusted at/with the things Simone does, yet he is growing more and more attracted to her and as a consequence is more committed to finding Cathy for her. Using his previous underworld contacts he tracks Cathy down at a brothel in Soho. Cathy is sadly doped to the eyeballs and ready to do a turn on George, she’s unresponsive to George’s lack of interest and pleas for Cathy to go with him and get help from him and Simone. As things turn ugly George has to make a exit from the Brothel but now has a lead on Cathy, he knows she’ll be hanging out in the Kings Cross red light district by day. Tracking Cathy down he tries to persuade her to go with him but again it doesn’t go well and surrounded by a hostile group – presumed runaways, prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers, he again has to leave Cathy.
With the lead’s George has got on Cathy, George and Simone eventually get Cathy to meet with them in a beat up café. The drugged up and still child-like Cathy wants ice cream and uses this as another ruse to evade them again. George and Simone eventually learn Cathy is the ‘property’ of Simone’s former pimp Anderson who is treating Cathy pretty much as he treated Simone. What they don’t know is Anderson works for Mortwell, a sort of right-hand man in relation to his vice interests and one of these is a ‘badger set’ house they use to blackmail prominent people. George tracks this down and finds Cathy involved in a ‘badger job’ with an assumed politician. George snatches Cathy but is seem by Mortwell and flees London for Brighton with Simone. George, Simone and Cathy think they’re safe but Mortwell and Anderson are on their trail and track them down at a Brighton hotel. A gun battle in the hotel and on Brighton Pier erupts between George/Simone and Mortwell/Anderson and their associates where George and Simone literally have to run for their lives… Simone has a showdown with Anderson and Mortwell where with George’s gun she shoots them both dead and then threatens to shoot George. George feels double crossed… he knocks Simone out and leave the carnage.
Now freed from his underworld obligations George returns to London where he now works with Thomas in a classic car garage and is trying his best to go straight and be there as a father for his daughter Jeannie.
Mona Lisa was always one of those films which passed me by, I think I taped it when it was on Channel 4 etc. in the ‘80’s/’90’s but I never got around to actually watching it properly until now. Glad I have after all this time.
All of the cast have standout performances, Bob Hoskins is a natural and believable as George the put upon used and abused (in a different way) villain that has done time and been sacrificed by others… in particular Mortwell. George is one of those people who seems to have bad luck everywhere he goes, unsuccessful as a villain, kicked out of a marriage, estranged from his daughter, used and ditched by fellow criminals yet he’s still standing and is a survivor of sorts. Perhaps he could be seen as a happy go lucky equivalent of Out’s Frank Ross albeit without the drive and guile to right the wrongs which have happened to him.
Michael Caine is equally good as Mortwell maybe a nastier/seedier extension of Jack Carter and it’s not entirely unbelievable that Mortwell was based upon other characters like Gerald Fletcher, Jack’s crime boss from Get Carter… the age and circumstances would be right for Mortwell to have a similar profile and status within the underworld. George thinks Mortwell owes him for his time in jail and loyalty, he’s naively wrong and mistaken, Mortwell couldn’t give a damn in fact he sees George as a obstacle, a relic from days gone by where there may have been some form of comradery, loyalty in the ‘firm’ but there isn’t now and Mortwell would sooner see George out of the way – one way or another, to spare him embarrassment and something from his past which stops him achieving a high profile, respectable and seemingly legitimate position he now has or wants to have for the future. A down on his luck villain on his trail is the last thing he wants. However by giving George the job of pretty much driving a prostitute around is perhaps a way of insulting and putting George in his place and letting him know he’s a nobody in the pecking order and to be respectful of him, regardless of whether or not George is owed by Mortwell for things (crimes) he’s done for him in the past.
Cathy Tyson is also very good as Simone a prostitute who has come from the harsh world of the street with it’s abuse and violence to a position where she has (limited) power and destiny over what she does – although she’s unaware of Mortwell’s involvement in that before she meet’s George. She snubs her nose at George at first seeing him as a low class villain not a part of the world she mixes with but eventually warms to him. However I get a feeling she too is also using George for her own aims – namely to find Cathy, and when things turn ugly in Brighton she doesn’t hesitate to consider killing him both as he’s done for her – he’s done what she wanted him to do, and in the terms of a relationship that no longer works nor suits her purposes.
All three leads play the roles very well and it’s kind of ironic that the next films Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine did were tosh like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Jaws: The Revenge which are not in the same league as this. Bob Hoskins also narrowly missed out on an Academy Award for this to Paul Newman in The Color of Money, I know what film and performance I prefer better. Cathy Tyson would also return to a similar role as a sex-worker in Bradford’s red light district in ITV’s Band of Gold in the mid-‘90’s too. I think her role in this was somewhat different than that of Simone here and again it’s something that’s passed me by and I’ve not seen, but I have heard good things about Band of Gold and do know it’s on DVD so may be something I’d try and see/search out at some point. I’m surprised Cathy Tyson doesn’t have a higher profile and more work that what she’s done over the years as Mona Lisa was a good showcase of what she could do? 
Maybe she’s not one of the ‘luvvie’ set we seen year in/out which sort of explains that but I definitely think she could do well in a similar role on either side of the law of a contemporary drama/flim today.
Mona Lisa is also a good snapshot of London in the ‘80s too. We get both the high class world of Mayfair and Knightsbridge that Simone works in, the old-school world George has come from – I think it’s meant to be Fulham although it’s not mentioned and the completely seedy world and hopelessness of Soho and Kings Cross where sex, drugs and abuse are considered the norm. I never experienced Kings Cross in that period, thankfully but did hear of it’s reputation something it had up until fairly recently and it’s nothing like the gentrified fancy bars, restaurants and offices – Google etc. that are in Kings Cross now. That said there are still pockets of this old, seedier world around there and in nearby Pentonville/Holloway which can be opening to the naïve and sheltered. The seedy vice world is also laid bare here and it shows how frightening and quickly someone can get sucked into that as a victim (Cathy), a protagonist (Mortwell/Anderson) a willing participant or a bystander (George) who in turn becomes a victim in the nastiness and chaos this world brings.
I suppose like Villain this film over the years feels like it’s been overshadowed by Hoskins in The Long Good Friday and his role as Harry Shand. But like when comparing Villain to Get Carter I’d say Mona Lisa is equally as good a film in the British crime/gangster genre and it’s well worth seeking out and given a watch – even if you don’t like or feel shocked by the life and world it is depicting.
You could watch it and feel differently to me but I’d rate Mona Lisa a good 8.5 almost 9 out of 10. I’m glad I finally gave it a watch after all this time too, maybe a future DVD purchase for me and I fully recommend it to everyone on the forum.
Please note this contains spoilers.
Things open with George (Hoskins) a down at heel, low-level criminal/gangster engaged in a fierce doorstep row with his estranged wife (Pauline Melville) over being able to see his daughter Jeannie (Zoë Nathenson). Kicked off the doorstep much to the delight of a crowd of onlookers George threatens to take on he’s rescued by his semi-legit friend Thomas (Coltrane) who is a writer and artist and stops at his caravan cum art studio for a time. George once worked for Denny Mortwell (Caine) whom he has – including his recent stretch, done time for, although Mortwell is several divisions above George in the pecking order and is reluctant to help him back on his way since his prison stretch. However he does give George a job, to be the driver and ‘minder’ of a high class prostitute Simone (Tyson) whom he – and others we’ll mention later, have a interest in.
George personally isn’t keen on the job, nor the things which go on in the vice world as he up to this point hasn’t been involved with it. Likewise Simone isn’t impressed with George seeing him as trash both in the terms of his 80’s casual dress sense and his overall demeanour and initially the two don’t hit it off. However they eventually do form a bond with Simone smartening George up and George being more accepting of Simone too. Simone opens up to George about her time ‘on the game’ and how she was abused by a pimp Anderson (Clarke Peters) and how Simone’s teenage friend Cathy (Kate Hardie) has sunk low into the seedier world of (then) Kings Cross with it’s abuse, drugs and violence. Simone is concerned about what has happened to Cathy and tries to get George to help her find Cathy and help her. At first reluctant George agrees but encounters a dark world far beyond that he has known within the criminal world to that point.
George is drawn further into Simone’s world providing ‘services’ to the rich and powerful – from businessmen to politicians to Middle Eastern ‘visiting firemen’, while trying to re-establish a clandestine relationship with his daughter. He’s sometimes disgusted at/with the things Simone does, yet he is growing more and more attracted to her and as a consequence is more committed to finding Cathy for her. Using his previous underworld contacts he tracks Cathy down at a brothel in Soho. Cathy is sadly doped to the eyeballs and ready to do a turn on George, she’s unresponsive to George’s lack of interest and pleas for Cathy to go with him and get help from him and Simone. As things turn ugly George has to make a exit from the Brothel but now has a lead on Cathy, he knows she’ll be hanging out in the Kings Cross red light district by day. Tracking Cathy down he tries to persuade her to go with him but again it doesn’t go well and surrounded by a hostile group – presumed runaways, prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers, he again has to leave Cathy.
With the lead’s George has got on Cathy, George and Simone eventually get Cathy to meet with them in a beat up café. The drugged up and still child-like Cathy wants ice cream and uses this as another ruse to evade them again. George and Simone eventually learn Cathy is the ‘property’ of Simone’s former pimp Anderson who is treating Cathy pretty much as he treated Simone. What they don’t know is Anderson works for Mortwell, a sort of right-hand man in relation to his vice interests and one of these is a ‘badger set’ house they use to blackmail prominent people. George tracks this down and finds Cathy involved in a ‘badger job’ with an assumed politician. George snatches Cathy but is seem by Mortwell and flees London for Brighton with Simone. George, Simone and Cathy think they’re safe but Mortwell and Anderson are on their trail and track them down at a Brighton hotel. A gun battle in the hotel and on Brighton Pier erupts between George/Simone and Mortwell/Anderson and their associates where George and Simone literally have to run for their lives… Simone has a showdown with Anderson and Mortwell where with George’s gun she shoots them both dead and then threatens to shoot George. George feels double crossed… he knocks Simone out and leave the carnage.
Now freed from his underworld obligations George returns to London where he now works with Thomas in a classic car garage and is trying his best to go straight and be there as a father for his daughter Jeannie.
Mona Lisa was always one of those films which passed me by, I think I taped it when it was on Channel 4 etc. in the ‘80’s/’90’s but I never got around to actually watching it properly until now. Glad I have after all this time.
All of the cast have standout performances, Bob Hoskins is a natural and believable as George the put upon used and abused (in a different way) villain that has done time and been sacrificed by others… in particular Mortwell. George is one of those people who seems to have bad luck everywhere he goes, unsuccessful as a villain, kicked out of a marriage, estranged from his daughter, used and ditched by fellow criminals yet he’s still standing and is a survivor of sorts. Perhaps he could be seen as a happy go lucky equivalent of Out’s Frank Ross albeit without the drive and guile to right the wrongs which have happened to him.
Michael Caine is equally good as Mortwell maybe a nastier/seedier extension of Jack Carter and it’s not entirely unbelievable that Mortwell was based upon other characters like Gerald Fletcher, Jack’s crime boss from Get Carter… the age and circumstances would be right for Mortwell to have a similar profile and status within the underworld. George thinks Mortwell owes him for his time in jail and loyalty, he’s naively wrong and mistaken, Mortwell couldn’t give a damn in fact he sees George as a obstacle, a relic from days gone by where there may have been some form of comradery, loyalty in the ‘firm’ but there isn’t now and Mortwell would sooner see George out of the way – one way or another, to spare him embarrassment and something from his past which stops him achieving a high profile, respectable and seemingly legitimate position he now has or wants to have for the future. A down on his luck villain on his trail is the last thing he wants. However by giving George the job of pretty much driving a prostitute around is perhaps a way of insulting and putting George in his place and letting him know he’s a nobody in the pecking order and to be respectful of him, regardless of whether or not George is owed by Mortwell for things (crimes) he’s done for him in the past.
Cathy Tyson is also very good as Simone a prostitute who has come from the harsh world of the street with it’s abuse and violence to a position where she has (limited) power and destiny over what she does – although she’s unaware of Mortwell’s involvement in that before she meet’s George. She snubs her nose at George at first seeing him as a low class villain not a part of the world she mixes with but eventually warms to him. However I get a feeling she too is also using George for her own aims – namely to find Cathy, and when things turn ugly in Brighton she doesn’t hesitate to consider killing him both as he’s done for her – he’s done what she wanted him to do, and in the terms of a relationship that no longer works nor suits her purposes.
All three leads play the roles very well and it’s kind of ironic that the next films Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine did were tosh like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Jaws: The Revenge which are not in the same league as this. Bob Hoskins also narrowly missed out on an Academy Award for this to Paul Newman in The Color of Money, I know what film and performance I prefer better.
Cathy Tyson would also return to a similar role as a sex-worker in Bradford’s red light district in ITV’s Band of Gold in the mid-‘90’s too. I think her role in this was somewhat different than that of Simone here and again it’s something that’s passed me by and I’ve not seen, but I have heard good things about Band of Gold and do know it’s on DVD so may be something I’d try and see/search out at some point. I’m surprised Cathy Tyson doesn’t have a higher profile and more work that what she’s done over the years as Mona Lisa was a good showcase of what she could do? 
Maybe she’s not one of the ‘luvvie’ set we seen year in/out which sort of explains that but I definitely think she could do well in a similar role on either side of the law of a contemporary drama/flim today. Mona Lisa is also a good snapshot of London in the ‘80s too. We get both the high class world of Mayfair and Knightsbridge that Simone works in, the old-school world George has come from – I think it’s meant to be Fulham although it’s not mentioned and the completely seedy world and hopelessness of Soho and Kings Cross where sex, drugs and abuse are considered the norm. I never experienced Kings Cross in that period, thankfully but did hear of it’s reputation something it had up until fairly recently and it’s nothing like the gentrified fancy bars, restaurants and offices – Google etc. that are in Kings Cross now. That said there are still pockets of this old, seedier world around there and in nearby Pentonville/Holloway which can be opening to the naïve and sheltered. The seedy vice world is also laid bare here and it shows how frightening and quickly someone can get sucked into that as a victim (Cathy), a protagonist (Mortwell/Anderson) a willing participant or a bystander (George) who in turn becomes a victim in the nastiness and chaos this world brings.
I suppose like Villain this film over the years feels like it’s been overshadowed by Hoskins in The Long Good Friday and his role as Harry Shand. But like when comparing Villain to Get Carter I’d say Mona Lisa is equally as good a film in the British crime/gangster genre and it’s well worth seeking out and given a watch – even if you don’t like or feel shocked by the life and world it is depicting.
You could watch it and feel differently to me but I’d rate Mona Lisa a good 8.5 almost 9 out of 10. I’m glad I finally gave it a watch after all this time too, maybe a future DVD purchase for me and I fully recommend it to everyone on the forum.
and for the Blu Ray heads up Vi. 
That said I'm over thinking things and overall it's a very good British Crime film from a period not many were being made and it's focus on the vice scene is a different take to a usual cops and robbers film that had gone before. 
