British distributors Arrow Video have confirmed that they are planning to release on Blu-ray two films starring Bob Hoskins: John Mackenzie's
The Long Good Friday (1980) and Neil Jordan's
Mona Lisa (1986). Preliminary street dates for these upcoming releases have not yet been revealed.
Bob Hoskins died earlier this week at the age of 71. He had retired from acting following a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
The Long Good Friday
Acclaimed gangster thriller starring Bob Hoskins as a top London crime boss whose attempts to launch a legitimate business enterprise are disrupted by a number of bombs from an unknown adversary. Harold Shand (Hoskins) is a gangster who has worked his way to the top with utter ruthlessness and a penchant for violence. Recognising that a more secure and prosperous future lies in moving to legal operations, he prepares to trade a life of crime for respectability through a plan to regenerate London's Docklands area. However, when unknown bombers begin targeting his properties and killing his associates, Shand only knows one response - violence. As he and his mistress, Victoria (Helen Mirren), try to hold his crumbling empire together, Shand finds himself facing the ironic prospect of all-out war just as he tries to convert to peace.
Mona Lisa
Classic downbeat British crime thriller, directed by Neil Jordan. George (Bob Hoskins) is 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.