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Sep 30, 2021 Web Exclusive By Jason Wilson

​It’s the perfect set-up for a neo-noir. George (Bob Hoskins), a small-time London criminal, exits prison after a seven-year stint for failing to rat on his old boss, Denny Mortwell (Michael Caine). On returning home, he is rejected by his wife and prevented from seeing his daughter, whom he would have last encountered as a young child prior to being sent away. Looking for help from those he saved by clamming up, he’s given a gig as a driver for high-end prostitute Simone (Cathy Tyson).

But, while Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa has the makings of a traditional foray into familiar territory, it subverts expectation almost immediately. For one, it is clear that this won’t be a humorless trip to London’s grimy underworld. There’s a comic lightness that undercuts that opening bit of family drama as George is led away from the scene he’s causing by old friend Thomas (Robbie Coltrane), with whom he winds up staying. Thomas had been sending George detective novels (including a series involving a murderous dwarf, apparently) while he was holed up in jail, so much of their conversations circle around discussing the happenings in these books. Thomas is also collecting kitschy trinkets to sell like plastic spaghetti and glow-in-the-dark religious statues. Thomas is not in the film a lot, but he’s so well-drawn as a textured element in the margins of this story that it helps add extra layers to George as well.

Thomas isn’t exactly comic relief, though he is the most consistently silly element of a mostly serious film. Still, before shit hits the fan, there remains an airy atmosphere even as George starts driving Simone to her appointments. An unrefined schlub, Simone gives her chauffeur money to clean up his appearance only for him to arrive in a caramel leather jacket and Hawaiian-print shirt, which is decidedly not the high-class look she was hoping he’d tap into. Later, she takes him shopping and picks out his clothing herself. This reverses the traditional gender stereotype of the wealthy male taking his naive - and often poor - female counterpart to shops in order to “boost” her appearance. These scenes, as well as those where George waits patiently, either asleep in his car or in a hotel lobby, also serve as comic.

But, that’s not to say there isn’t an unsavory element to the proceedings. As the two get closer following a rocky beginning - it’s clear George is racist or, at the very least, holds deep-seeded prejudices - George develops an affection for Simone. Either because she also begins to care for and trust in him or because she sees an opportunity to exploit, Simone enlists him to search for Cathy, a younger and more vulnerable friend with whom she used to walk the streets. Before asking for his help, she has him end every night by driving through a dingy area where prostitutes and pimps linger. The humor of the previous scenes evaporates as the film gets more darkly lit and evokes a more desperate and hopeless atmosphere. Simone confides that she’s looking for Cathy every night, but has yet to find her again.

She also calls George a “good man” even though he hasn’t given her - or us - that this is the case. But he’s also not evil. He maintains a hard exterior and is quick to anger and violence when he’s confused as he’s a very literal-minded man, but underneath it all, George is soft in the center. He’s hard-headed but not hard-boiled. It’s cliche, but he certainly sees his own daughter in the face of young girls selling their bodies on the streets and this, as much as his growing affection - misguided or not - for Simone drives him to find Cathy.

The union between George and Simone is doomed to be temporary from the moment their arrangement is put in place. Whether she actually cares for George or sees him as a means to an end is up to interpretation, particularly with how things play out in the final 20 minutes or so. George feels used, but it’s probably more complicated and nuanced than that. George sees things in black-and-white, something sleazeball crime boss Denny exploits straight to his face. Simone does, too, but she’s more savvy with the way this world works and - based on her experiences - has been forced to play defense. As great as Hoskins is as George, portraying the complex simplicity of this man with depth and care that otherwise may not have been afforded it - apparently Sean Connery was the first choice and was unavailable, according to Ryan Gilbey’s essay - it’s Tyson who serves as the film’s glue. At 20 and in her debut film, she exhibits a knowing experience beyond her years, which only adds to Simone’s tragic circumstance.

The end is tricky to parse. It’s something of a happy ending as George emerges from the underworld reunited with his daughter and living what amounts to a “normal” existence working alongside Thomas. But it’s bittersweet as the lingering question of what happened and what will happen to Simone bubbles beneath the surface. It’s complicated, and it goes back to the notion of George neither being good nor evil. He escaped, even if it cost him a piece of the humanity he gained through his relationship with Simone.

The new Criterion Blu Ray features an upgraded transfer from the DVD disc that was overseen by director Neil Jordan and DOP Roger Pratt. Otherwise, the disc is relatively bare compared to more stacked releases. There’s an audio commentary featuring Jordan and Hoskins that was recorded in 1997 plus an interview with the pair from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. New for this edition is a conversation with Jordan and Tyson with critic Gilbey who provided the essay in the accompanying booklet.

Even if it’s not the most jam-packed Criterion release, Mona Lisa is a gem of a movie that doesn’t fit perfectly into any one classification. It’s a crime movie, a screwball comedy, and a bleak tale of cyclical violence and despair.