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Waiting in the lobby of a plush hotel, the next day, a tall, thin, black woman walks over. She is Simone (Cathy Tyson) and he's her protector, taking her between rich clients. To say that they don't immediately hit it off is an understatement! She's expecting someone who knows what they're doing while George is just tactless, cheap (by his own admission) and uncomprehending. Still, they have a great deal in common (being lonely, isolated people) and with time they become more understanding of each other. A lot of this is reflected in the way they groom each other, with Simone dressing George in expensive suits (so that he looks the part) while he tidies her up before she meets her next customer. However, the darker side emerges when Simone asks to be taken down to Kings Cross - a meat market for young street-walkers and a hell from which she herself escaped. Simone has personal demons and they're about to ensnare George.
A long time ago, when Simone worked that area, she had a friend called Cathy (Kate Hardie) whom she pledged to protect. Now she wants George to find her, since there's no way that Simone can do it herself. He isn't particularly enamoured of the idea but, with a daughter of the same age, George almost feels obligated to help. Descending into the luridly lit world of strip joints and de-humanised girls, George searches for this Cathy among the ladies who just aim to please. It's an unpleasant business, and wholly unerotic, but eventually he meets someone who fits the description. Unfortunately this is the territory of Mortwell and Anderson (Clarke Peters), Simone's old pimp. Nowhere is George's naivety and anachronism more dangerous yet that may be the quality which saves them and, maybe, even leads to love and redemption.
The stench of oppression and fear that rises from this sordid underworld, inhabited by twisted old men and desensitised girls, is effectively communicated in Mona Lisa. Several scenes are extremely uncomfortable and much of the credit for this is due to the fine acting of Hoskins and newcomer Tyson. As a high-price call-girl, Simone remembers and loathes her painful roots while George thrashes around in a fog of uncertainty, conjured up by the harsh reality around him. As a slimy and evil villain, Caine is rather too convincing (lighting his face from below adds to the feeling of hidden aggression within). The storyline unfolds smoothly, passing out new developments as George himself finds them and allowing the various relationships time to develop. That the ending of the film works is purely the result of this patient build-up. Neil Jordan has directed many films which reveal the edge on people's character and Mona Lisa is one of his best.
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