Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

markel-87497 What a pleasure it is when all the elements of a movie fall into place. And how rare for the writing, the direction, the cinematography and the acting to work so seamlessly at such a high level of excellence. A great script, and direction that doesn't get in the way but just enhances the narrative and gives these supoerb actors room to express themselves. Which they do beatifully. Bob Hoskins is muscular, enegertic and funny and about as natural as an actor can be. As usual you can't take your eyes off of Michael Caine, maybe the last great novie star left. The subtext is the empty world of prostitution and the seedy London of the 80s. Movies gain a whole new dimension when the locale they faithfu;lly present changes and is no more. In that sense Mona Lisa is also a great documentary. and that makes the recent HBO The Deuce, which not a document but a recreation of Times Square paralleling the time of Mona Lisa, seem forced by comparison.

Degree7 After seeing Hoskins in "The Long Good Friday", I was eager to catch another one of his highly celebrated performances. Filling in a similar role as an ex-con looking for work in 1980s London, I found his relationship with a call-girl to be highly effective in the character's exploration of a world he is simultaneously out of touch, but all too familiar with. It is a story that moves along leisurely, as he is soon employed by his employer's worker to find a vulnerable young girl on the streets, and it is here that the film offers a disparaging outlook on urban prostitution, through the annals of both high and low society. Hoskin's character becomes embroiled in an emotional investment beyond his control, and like any Noir protagonist, is very soon out of his league and receiving the short end of the stick.The ending revelation is effective, but slightly underwhelming when one realizes that his journey was doomed from the beginning, but this kind of set up is to be expected from these sorts of tales. The character development and progression between lead actor and actress is simple, but highly effective.The cinematography comes across as drab sometimes, but there are many beautiful moments in this film with some detailed choreography and impressive lighting of seedy, smoke filled interiors as Hoskins navigates the Londonian labyrinths. The ending does feel slightly rushed, but there are so many great moments, and the film has a lot of untold backstory that gives its characters a lot of depth and very realistic insight into human longing. This is a great example of effective exposition that is relayed naturally and not a distraction or disservice to the film. A few choppy moments, but overall 'Mona Lisa' is more than the sum of its parts, and is an entertaining and atmospheric indie flick from Neil Jordan.

Cedric_Catsuits An intricate and cleverly crafted portrayal of the seedier side of 1980s London, this film shines in almost every department. Hoskins is a delight, and effortlessly carries the story and the viewer on a ride as smooth as the Jaguar he wafts around London in.So intriguing is the world Hoskins inhabits, there really doesn't need to be a twist at the end. I'd quite happily watch the awkward but well-meaning little cockney ride around all day, stumbling through one curious encounter after another.So when the rather unimaginative and lack-lustre twist comes, it's not only unnecessary but also rather deflating. This is the only thing that lets this gem of a movie down, but it is near the end and it is rather insignificant, so just enjoy the characters and polished performances.

screenman 'Mona Lisa' is a 14-year old movie that could have been released yesterday. It is a wonderfully vivid and inevitably sordid insight into the sex industry. Although based in London, it could be any major city.Bob Hoskins heads a cast that never put a foot wrong. He's a stooge, a schmoll, a muggins. Fresh out of jail after a 7-year stretch during which time he has done the honourable thing and kept schtum, he is naturally seeking some payback. But his paymaster, played by a wonderfully sleazy Micheal Caine, is giving nothing. Indeed, he has all but forgotten him. In an oleaginous exchange, Hoskins' simple character is talked into settling for no more compensation than a driving job. And even then he has to use his own car. It's a good old-fashioned villains' Jaguar 3.4 saloon. He is driving a high-end whore, played by Cathy Tyson. Hers are a wealthy clientele, to which she has worked her ticket from the street. Hoskins' character is a combination of tough, worldly, working-class, and at the same time untutored, in good taste, or the complex subtleties of human nature. His best mate is a strange character played by Robbie Coltrane. He's a sort of Del-Boy, constantly looking for the latest big thing, but apparently getting nowhere. We meet him living in a trailer. He provides a cushion of levity which I found implausible and out of kilter with the brutal frankness of the other issues. There are plenty of other characters who also earn their cameo pay-cheques. But this is Hoskins' movie. His realisation of a simple east-end crook struggling to grasp the larger issues of the plot is an absolute tour-de-force. He is at once tough and vulnerable, ruthless and humane, smart and simple. And the shifting shades of personality and behaviour are absolutely seamless. He's a confessed murderer, but you love him even so. He wouldn't 'top' anyone who didn't deserve it.There's so much to enjoy and admire in this movie that I could write all night, but enough. It's flawed. Yet the story, the shocks, the camera-work, and the top-notch acting set in the insidious stratum of human vice will stay with you long after.Very highly recommended.