Mona Lisa

Bob Hoskins — in the once-in-a-lifetime role that earned him an Oscar® nomination and won both the Cannes Film Festival and British Academy Awards for Best Actor — stars as George, a brutish mob soldier in the London underworld who has just been released from prison. Anxious for work, he’s given the job of chauffeuring elegant prostitute Simone (Cathy Tyson, in her stunning film debut) by gangster boss Mortwell (an unforgettable performance by Michael Caine). What follows is the film CBS Morning News calls "vivid and astonishing," a remarkable combination of uncommon love story and shocking thriller that remains one of the most startling dramas of the decade. Robbie Coltrane(OCEAN’S TWELVE), Clarke Peters (THE WIRE) and Sammi Davis (HOMEFRONT) co-star in this internationally acclaimed smash directed and co-written by Neil Jordan that was nominated for 6 British Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Direction and Best Film.

You'll have to listen hard to catch all the dialogue in this dark, romantic film by director Neil Jordan. The Cockney accents are thick enough to spread on a crumpet. But it's worth the effort to plunge into the London underworld with tough but lovable thug Bob Hoskins. Just out of prison, he's given a job by his old boss (Michael Caine) as chauffeur to a gorgeous but chilly call girl (Cathy Tyson). For all his criminal experience, this guy is surprisingly innocent; when he develops a crush on the woman he's driving, it leads inevitably to tragedy. Hoskins is heartbreakingly good as this poor, thick sod, while Caine projects an oily malevolence. Tyson is also fine as a woman who has secrets of her own. --Marshall Fine