5 Star Classic Hoskins

Arrow Video brings us a cleaned up (vision and sound) 2K restoration of Neil Jordan‘s (The Crying Game) 1986 masterpiece of relationships, Love, Hate, Power and High-end whoring. This multi award winning film now comes up smelling of roses after the restoration. Hoskins gives probably his finest performances along with Tyson’s acting shining through.

George (Bob Hoskins, The Long Good Friday) has just got out of jail after a seven year stretch, and he he is heading home, with all his possessions in a brown paper bag and a bunch of flowers for his wife. But the reception is frosty to say the least and he is out on his ear as George vents his rage at the situation. This is when he is intercepted by Thomas (Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter…) who after all those years has kept his Jag in working order and hands him the keys. George is slightly miffed that there wasn’t anybody from his old firm outside the prison to meet him.

He thinks his boss, Mortwell (Michael Caine, Mr Morgan’s Last Love, The Dark Night: Rises, Interstellar) owes him something for him doing the stretch inside. He is determined to go see Mortwell and have a word with him and for some unknown reason he stops and buys a fluffy white rabbit for his boss.

Doing time has not been good for George, he has dropped down the ranks and that is why the only job he can get with them is driving around a high class prostitute Simone (Cathy Tyson, The Old Man Who Read Love Stories).

Straight off they are like oil and water, only mixing when they are in his motor, which isn’t that good.

George just doesn’t have the etiquette for the West End hotels that Simone frequents whilst plying her trade. He is dressed wrong and he talks all wrong, these are some of the things that annoy her as he tries to do the job honestly.

Slowly they start to have a working relationship and this is when Simone tells him her life story and the person that is missing from it now. This is where George agrees to help her, and he starts searching for that person. All the while George and Thomas try and come up with a crime story that they can write.

Hoskins won the 1986 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Tyson was nominated for the best Actress Award, so you are in for a cracking film. They don’t come much better than this.