Review: Neil Jordan's Timeless Modern Noir 'Mona Lisa' Arrives on Blu-ray Courtesy of Criterion

Filmmaker Neil Jordan burst onto the scene and into critical conversation in 1986 with "Mona Lisa," his breakthrough feature, which earned a Palm d'Or nomination and earned Bob Hoskins a Best Actor award at Cannes. Jordan has always made films that operate somewhere between film noir and fantasy, the latter of which is usually predicated on whatever romance may be occurring in the story. That focus on atmosphere and character is what drives many of Jordan's works, and what has pushed him to commercial success.

The Criterion Collection brings "Mona Lisa" to Blu-ray with a terrific 1080p presentation sourced from a new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative. This new edition provides a huge upgrade over the previous 2010 Blu-ray, plus Jordan himself supervised the 2K transfer and subsequent color grading. The result is nothing short of incredible, with deeper clarity and better grain structure that makes the evocative cinematography shine. Criterion has also added a handful of special features that fans are bound to enjoy, including a fun Zoom interview with Neil Jordan and actress Cathy Tyson, in which they reflect on the film together for the first time in years.

After being released from prison, erstwhile George (Bob Hoskins) is given a job by his former London crime boss to drive and guard a high-class call girl named Simone (Cathy Tyson). The two people, although at odds in the beginning of the story, grow closer together as they find out about one another. But their ensuing emotional intimacy hits a roadblock when George's boss enforces his dominance over the duo.

"Mona Lisa" is a weirdly touching film of a man learning about the reality of the world he's been ignorant toward, less because of choice than due to his previous imprisonment. His knee-jerk reaction is to lash out with his uncouth and volatile personality. Bob Hoskins is one of the few actors who can vacillate from vitriol to heart-breaking within the span of a moment, and it's apparent here that George is a character that matches that strength. It's an incredible thing to watch under Jordan's even-handed direction.

As for special features, Criterion has added some archival interviews in addition to the aforementioned Zoom conversation. Neil Jordan infrequently finds the magic that made films like "Mona Lisa" stand out from the pack. Thanks to Criterion for the reminder of the filmmaker's power given the right stage.

Other special features include:

� Interviews from 2015 with screenwriter David Leland and producer Stephen Woolley
� Interview with Jordan and Hoskins from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival
� English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
� Plus: An essay by Ryan Gilbey

"Mona Lisa" is now available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.