Half Moon Street

This starts off quite well, with some interesting ideas about traditions, rituals and values in different societies, however about halfway into it, the film starts to fall down, triggered by the introduction of thriller elements that just do not quite work. Sigourney Weaver delivers a strong performance throughout though. The rest of the performers do not do much out of the ordinary, but Weaver manages to bring a sense of credibility to her part, although she is too often topless. The partial nudity involving her is excessive for the film's story, but otherwise, she is great to have on screen, and her attractiveness does not hurt. There is not much of a directing vision to the material, the story is only half-good and there are probably a few other minor problems to be found. Sigourney Weaver certainly enlivens the material however, and the film is not bad to start with. For Weaver fans, it is definitely worth a look, however even for others it is satisfactory enough film-making to be perhaps worth checking out.

It's the classic "girl is too poor to pay her bills so she becomes a hooker" story in Half Moon Street. Sigourney Weaver is a highly respected researcher with a low-paying job, but instead of getting an extra roommate or applying for another research position, she gets in touch with an agency and becomes a high-class call girl. Since a lot of her clients are dignitaries, and a lot of them know each other, she also furthers her legitimate career with her contacts.

While Sigourney Weaver might not be the first actress who comes to mind that you would cast as a prostitute, her cool, detached attitude works for the character. During her first appointment, she gets all dolled up, only to look at herself in the mirror, realize she's not being herself, and scrub her makeup off. She shows up in a skirt-suit, glasses, and no make-up. She doesn't use a fake name and actually tells all her clients who she is and where she works during the daytime. It's a very unusual story, since all the other hooker movies you'll watch will feature a completely different character in the lead. If this sort of interpretation appeals to you, you might like Half Moon Street.

Also, while there are quite a few topless scenes, there are no sex scenes. It doesn't glamorize prostitution, but it also doesn't really portray it accurately. Sigourney is never in any danger, or afraid that she might be, and she never alludes to being abused or degraded by her clients. She says to Michael Caine, one of her regulars, that she likes casual sex so she doesn't mind her night job. It's a bit of an offensive statement, since that's never the reason women resort to prostitution. Still, if you like political conspiracy movies, with a bit of sex thrown in, give Half Moon Street a try and see what you think.

Dr Lauren Slaughter is an American academic who comes to London to work for a foreign-affairs think-tank. Her work is prestigious but badly paid, and Lauren decides to supplement her income by moonlighting for an upmarket escort agency, mostly catering for the needs of wealthy foreign businessmen. The set-up is not officially a prostitution ring, but sails fairly close to being one; the idea is that the man pays for the girl's company and it is then up to her whether she goes to bed with him. Lauren proves a success in her new line of work and is able to leave her downmarket flat for a much more exclusive residence in the Half Moon Street of the title. The film explores what happens when she falls in love with one of her clients, Lord Bulbeck, a Government foreign office minister involved in negotiations towards a Middle East peace settlement.

This is not really one of Michael Caine's best films. Most of his best performances have come in films where he has played characters who are, in one sense or another, outsiders or rebels against the system- the down-at-heel spy in "The Ipcress File", the Cockney womaniser in "Alfie", the gangster in "Get Carter", the cynical, disillusioned academic in "Educating Rita" or the drunken minor diplomat in "The Honorary Consul". Admittedly, his first starring role was in "Zulu", where he played the upper-class Lieutenant Bromhead, but I have never thought he was the best thing about that film. Here he plays a high-ranking establishment figure, but never seems completely convincing in the role, even though Bulbeck, a working-class trade union official raised to the peerage, is a co-opted member of the British establishment rather than one born to the purple.

Sigourney Weaver, however, is better as the heroine. She was, along with the likes of Meryl Streep, Kim Basinger, Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer, one of the bright new generation of Hollywood actresses who came to prominence in the late seventies and eighties, and gave some great performances in films like "Alien", "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Working Girl". Here she captures the various, often conflicting, aspects of Lauren's personality,- her intelligence, her outgoing nature and a hint of an underlying mercenary ruthlessness, which nevertheless co-exists with a genuine capacity for love.

For most of its length the film is a psychological romantic drama, like a romantic comedy without the jokes, and as such it works reasonably well. Towards the end, however, it morphs into a political thriller as Lauren discovers that she has become embroiled in a conspiracy by opponents of the Middle East peace process to assassinate Bulbeck, and as a thriller it does not work well at all, failing to generate any real tension. Despite a promising beginning, this sudden switch from one genre to another means that "Half Moon Street" is one of those films that fall between two stools. 6/10

The film talks about a young woman called Lauren Slaughter (Sigourney Weaver) who works as a lecturer and researcher at the Arab-Anglo Institute in London during day and sophisticated escort serving to VIPS by night at the Jasmine Escort Service . To supplement her income , she has a special client to British diplomatic (Michael Caine) who is acting as ambassador in the conflict amongst Jews and Palestines . He's trying to create an important peace treaty but the various confronted factions want to shatter the pacification project .

The plot isn't narrated with agility and seems to be a little forced and artificial . It's quite unsuccessful but there're pretty dialog and not much action with exception on the final reel that's fast movement and is funniest . The picture obtained lukewarm reception by the public in spite of the magnificent starring duo and was a flop and barely made monetary box office . Although technically well realized is mediocre and doesn't offer surprises . The motion picture is classified ¨R¨ as abounds the nudism in charge of Sigourney Weaver as an escort becomes a pawn in some very dark politics , violence when the murders happen , sexual themes and profanity . The support cast though unknown is very secondary , the film is mainly interpreted by two exceptional actors : Weaver and Caine . The movie was regularly directed by Bob Swaim . The film will appeal to excellent protagonist pair fans . Rating : Mediocre and entertaining .

Before I give you my opinion of this movie, I must tell you that I bought it just for the fact that Sigourney Weaver was in it. Back in late '93 - early '94, I was just becoming one of Ms. Weaver's fans. I bought the video from a little video store close to my house. When I watched it, it was (and still is!) a real treat to see a topless Ms. Weaver. Not only is she topless in more than one place in the film, the whole "famous exercise bike" scene has to rank as one of the top ten seduction scenes in my book! That having been said, as the years have passed, I've grown to like the rest of the movie for what it is: a romance/political suspense movie. I have yet to read the book, but I hope to sometime. All in all, a great movie!