Hussy

I read with interest the other reviews on IMDb. With all respect, all from the other side of the pond, so to speak.

Helen is a National Treasure to many of us Brits; the oft (and justified) referral to her Oscar winning portrayal of Her Majesty being the Crown on a long and varied career.

As such, many actresses could get very squeamish and guarded about their earlier films, disassociating themselves totally and making excuses. Whilst Ms Mirren is unlikely to list 'Hussy' as one her key performances, her conviction and strength of character means that no doubt it has helped shape her career and made her a better all-round actor.

Yes, 'Hussy' sells itself as soft porn, like the very clubs she is an escort for, to entice you in. The DVD cover is tawdry-looking and mentions Mirren as the now Oscar winner. This is not about bitching and petty jealousies as was in Paul Verhoeven's "Showgirls"; the story does move on and away to being a credible thriller that were a mainstay in UK cinema and TV. Series such as The Professionals; hard nosed, in your face crime, gritty and unrelenting. Not particularly good but generally quite watchable.

True, only Mirren shines on the acting front, and that hardly taxes her. But this is over thirty years ago. No-one else in the cast is actually bad to the point of being awful. To me, though, becoming of adult age about then, it is the London, the snapshot of a misspent youth of my own and making it slightly more human that is the best bit of this practically forgotten film. I do not regret having bought this DVD; true it won't get played very often, if at all, any more but as I said before 'Queen' Mirren did have to start out somewhere!

Much underrated and sadly, little seen seedy gem. Low budget so lots of location shooting, always good, especially in London and if a little rough around the edges, all the better. Helen Mirren gives a gutsy and convincing performance in what is a surprisingly convincing glimpse of the sleazier side of late 70s London. She would play a rather more glossy version of the fancied girl on the edge of the underworld in the following year's Long Good Friday but even in that fine film we do not see a finer performance than here. Matthew Chapman does well with his limited funds and gets decent performances from everyone including the child and surely one of the most menacing bad guys in cinema. Paul Angelis, who worked mainly in TV but famously voiced parts for Yellow Submarine, switches deftly between friendly and fearsome as a psychotic criminal strong man and coming between the two main protagonists. Solid script, competent direction, great performances and wonderful settings make this an essential view.

I can't say that I liked this film very much, but it did have some good elements. First, and foremost, Helen Mirren. She has always been sooo beautiful, even into her sixties. Here, she was about thirty-five, and looks it, with some lines around the eyes that no modern actress would tolerate in this Botox era. I found it charming and attractive, myself. But then, I'm no spring chicken myself. Many actresses ruin their looks with toxins and surgeries. Yes, feminine beauty is ephemeral, but the effort to maintain it often goes horribly bad these days. Anyway, the plotting and casting seem better to me now, than when I was watching the film yesterday. Not sure what that means. I guess I'd say that fans of Mirren (like me) should definitely see this, and others should probably skip it.

There was a joke in the 1980s that Helen Mirren would take her clothes off for the movies, even if there was no artistic requirement for it!

More likely the dire state of the British film industry meant that there were few opportunities for actresses.

At least Mirren had a solid background in the theatre and television. She was prepared to use her glamour.

Mirren plays Beaty, a past her prime prostitute working from a sleazy upscale cabaret club.

She falls in love with American Emory (John Shea) a sound/lighting technician in the club.

He can't afford Beaty but he has a nice pad that used to belong to his late wife.

They form a relationship, Emory gets to know her son. Then Beaty's former lover Alex (Paul Angelis) the father of her son shows up.

Alex in mentally unstable, probably just left prison and wants Beaty back.

It drives Emory to get involved in a drug deal with fellow American Max. He is camp, rich and a drug addict. Emory is a convenient fall guy for the deal.

Emory manages to get Alex involved hoping he could take the rap. Allowing him and Beaty to run away.

It is not exactly a sleazy thriller. It does capture the era of the late 1970s/early 80s. London is still rather grim and seedy in places.

The story is rather cliched. Emory falls in love with a prostitute and is then jealous as to how she makes her money.

Even the arrival of the volatile Alex is hackneyed.

The involvement of Alex and Max in the drug deal, suddenly raises the film a notch or two. It makes the film go off in a surprising different and even an upbeat direction.

One of Helen Mirren's first......I suppose everybody has to work their way up from the bottom.

The writer and director of this nonsense did go on to write one of my favourite movies, Runaway Jury. So that's something I suppose.

The action is stilted, the characters unbelievable, the plot simplistic and the production quality is poor.

In a few years, Mirren would go on to have her breakout role in The Long Good Friday which is not too dissimilar to this in look and feel.

Just a word about the ridiculous climax the hinges on whether or not a child wants to run away with his mum. Must have sounded great on the page because it was laughable on the screen.