Mona Lisa is a 1986 British neo-noir crime drama film directed by Neil Jordan, and written by Jordan and David Leland. It was produced by HandMade Films and stars Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, and Michael Caine. The film is about an ex-convict (Hoskins) who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-priced call girl (Tyson).
The film was nominated for multiple awards, and Hoskins was nominated for several awards for his performance (including the Academy Award for Best Actor), winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film takes its title from the song "Mona Lisa", which is heard throughout the film.
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Plot
George, a low-level working-class gangster recently released after seven years in prison, is given a job in London by his former boss, Denny Mortwell, as the driver and bodyguard for a high-priced prostitute named Simone. Mortwell also wants George to gather information on one of Simone's wealthy customers for blackmail purposes. Simone, who has worked hard to develop high-class manners and an elite clientele, initially dislikes the uncouth and outspoken George, and he regards her as putting on airs. But as George and Simone find out more about each other, they form a friendship, and George begins to fall in love with her. George agrees, at the risk of his own life, to help Simone find her teenage friend Cathy, who has disappeared, and who Simone fears is being abused by her violent former pimp, Anderson.