hyped garbage

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Gritty and well-done, if somewhat overrated at the time of its release. The performances are explosive (the best moments of all three leads are their violent outbursts - there is a lot of bottled-up anger and frustration in this movie - and Bob Hoskins deserved his Oscar nomination), but the script is kind of monotonous. **1/2 out of 4.

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.

Viewers not conditioned to the rich Cockney slang will miss some of the flavor of this tense and emotional English drama, starring Bob Hoskins as a small time ex-con (with a heart of only slightly tarnished gold) hired to chaperone an elegant call girl through a midnight netherworld of London vice and corruption. The setting recalls some of the nightmare urban landscapes of Martin Scorsese, but the film resists any easy comparison by adding an element of compassion to the unsettling background of violence and pornography. The plot itself, concerning the search by a reluctant Hoskins and his companion for another missing girl, is more mystery than thriller, but not the parlor room whodunit of classic British mystery. This is a more complex mystery of human emotions, set amidst the wreckage of sexual exploitation. The only miscalculation is the sappy ballad (performed by pop rockers Phil Collins and Genesis) included strictly as a cosmetic filler and soundtrack album highlight.

I was completely blown away and amazed at how brilliant this film is, and how underrated it's become since it came out. The title is based on the Nat King Cole song "Mona Lisa", which he sings about the famous Da Vinci painting and the mystery that surrounds it - and film revokes around that same painful mystery of a what a certain woman wants, and what she has experienced.The film opens with that song, with the male lead character, George walking to his daughter's house after his release from prison. Looking for work as a chauffeur for his gangster boss, he is appointed to a high class, sophisticated black prostitute, Simone, to drive her around. She is annoyed at first by his appearance, but slowly begins to trust him, fitting him into new clothes. But as soon as she has faith in him, she eventually drags him in to a dangerous pursuit and rescue of a young girl, forced into prostitution. Led into the underworld of porn, sleaze, clubs and street mayhem, George, who unfortunately falls for Simone, questions whether his job is worth it or not and will he or Simone could survive it. One of the many themes of this movie is the unrequited love of Simone, a beautiful hooker who cannot be possessed, that George develops, and the difficult subject of underage forced prostitution and sadism. Bob Hoskins shines at the top of his acting game as George, showing both fierceness as well as sensitivity to the role, making it a perfect match and a well deserved Oscar nominated portrayal. Cathy Tyson was also perfect as the Mona Lisa - like Simone, and Michael Caine appears as the ruthless king pin Mortwell.Adding to the mix is the great music, the theme song by Genesis and the dark atmospheric look of London's night spots. All this made me want to see the film again and again, thinking about something different that I saw in it each time. In my opinion, the key to a good movie is wanting to see it again right after it finishes. It's just too bad Hoskins didn't win the Oscar and Cathy Tyson disappeared without a trace over the years. Although it's sometimes bleak, it's a gorgeous piece of art, just like the painting.