Neil Jordan

The Long Good Friday / Mona Lisa Neil Jordan

Double-bill of British gangster thrillers, starring Bob Hoskins. 'The Long Good Friday' (1979) is set in the East End of London at the end of the Seventies and the beginning of the Eighties, when the local hoods were trying to muscle in on the development of the Docklands. Hoskins won huge acclaim for his portrayal of the vicious gangster boss who overestimates his business capacity when he gets involved with gangs linked to the IRA.

Directed by Neil Jordan, 'Mona Lisa' (1986) follows George (Hoskins), a low-grade mob enforcer recently released from prison after a stretch covering up for his boss, Mortwell (Michael Caine). Taking on a job as chauffeur to prickly call girl Simone (Cathy Tyson), George gradually begins to fall in love with her as he helps her look for her best friend Cathy (Kate Hardie). But when he eventually finds her, the naive George is dismayed to find that Cathy and Simone are lovers.

Even worse, George has unwittingly become involved in a dangerous game that Simone and Cathy are playing against his old underworld boss, Mortwell.