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.
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smatysia15 May 2010
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dreamonforever125 February 2007well, the title is certainly "trashy" enough to mislead those looking for a quality drama away to other things. the makers definitely could've chosen a better one, but perhaps they wanted the added interest a lurid title would draw? the box the DVD i watched came in had this extra bit of salaciousness as a caption at the top: "how much sex is enough" (l.o.l.) but, being familiar with helen mirren's career, i knew that if she were starring in it there might be nudity (and there is), but it'd be a first-rate film (and it is). she's always been a knockout, in addition to being one of Britain's best actresses. hence, her honorary status there as a "dame." (she was also, at age 60, recently a marquee guest speaker at the local film festival) i'm really surprised, though, that somebody didn't go back and change the title of this film. anyway, i liked it. if you like helen mirren - particularly, early h.m. - you'll like it, too. note her entrance into the film's story after the first few minutes. that tells you everything you need to know about what the filmmakers think of her, and her own class.
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groggo9 February 2008This was not a bad film, but without Helen Mirren's acting -- she was superb even in 1980 -- I'm not sure how bad it COULD have been. Unfortunately, she's teamed here with John Shea, an American would-be heartthrob who was supposed to be a big star at one time until someone found he wasn't a very good actor.
It was annoying to rent this, because the DVD jacket shows Mirren in sexy poses. She is never really nude; we get a profile glimpse of one of her breasts as she climbs into a bathtub. But the DVD jacket would have you believe she's all but into explicit sex here. Pure exploitation of Mirren. This movie would have been more or less forgettable if she hadn't gone on to greater things.
All things considered, this is just another familiar and formulaic 'thriller' about a hard-working single mother reduced to prostitution who gets it on with Shea after a 'romance' of sorts.
My personal rule of thumb: if you're looking for a sexy movie, and a DVD has sexy pictures on the front, there's a 90 per cent chance you're going to be disappointed. This movie is just another example of the rule. -
zpzjones13 May 2004Helen Mirren never fails to amaze. she can play anything if she wants to. This flick is not as trashy as it's title may imply. Here she plays a 'dancer' in a club. Her face is all painted up, evidence of perhaps a little too much rouge. Very tartish. Most movies about 'strippers' or 'dancers' get poor movie reviews only BECAUSE of their subject matter. This movie is no exception as is evidenced by Leonard Maltin's one-star review of the movie. But movies that are about, what many consider seedy subjects, can be well told. Mirren's character is working in her club & meets a teacher like character played by John Shea. They don't really click at first but realize they are drawn to each other through conversation. Their relationship soon blossoms sexually. Mirren also has a young son. She can't seem to cast off the likes of her son's father. A brutish ex-convict. The convict comes back into Mirren's & her son's life & meets Shea. They don't like each other. The ex-con is soon broiled up in the IRA, smuggling drugs, & later, bullies Shea to join in as a driver for him. The ex later kills a coke-sniffing associate by shooting him in the back of the head after an argument. Mirren's ex then decides he wants to go his own way and leaves Shea alone to have Mirren. Shea then opts to Mirren to leave the London area with him but she won't go because her son has entered an important sports program in school. After arguing w/Shea over this she realizes Shea is right. She has a talk with her son and convinces the lad that other schools will have sports programs just like his current school.(Nice touch by the writers here as the boy responds/agrees quite willingly with his mother's suggestion).
Just sit back and enjoy as well as study Mirren's acting here. She handles risky subject realistically. I like the way the writers included her having a son because in real life most dancers have kids. That's why they're dancing.
No stranger to nude scenes in movies, Mirren has a few here most notably the full frontal while lying in a bathtub. But nevertheless this is an excellent mature story told with adult viewing in mind. -
samnaji-1538320 December 2023I caught this on Prime, and it looked intriguing because Helen Mirren is an excellent actor.
It was like watching two differing films that were split exactly at the halfway mark. The first half is definitely better, as it follows the conventional story of a man falling in love with a prostitute and dealing with acceptance, then jealousy, then control. The film then becomes something else in the second half. It focuses on a drug deal that is probably one of the easiest deals ever to go down in cinematic history, has a somewhat justified murder, and then ends with the most bizarre arguments I have ever seen.
You really have to watch that ending! Given that I have added this review to Spoilers, I want to talk about ending. That "OK" right at the end of the film made me laugh and confused at the same time. We just witnessed Beaty and Emory fight about their future together to run away from the law and to seek a new life elsewhere, only for the clincher to be whether Beaty's son wants to stay home because he was made captain of the football team. They argue and argue and argue, only for Beaty to insist to her son that they are going away. Her son notchy shrugs his shoulders and says, "OK". Then off they go, laughing all the way to Heathrow.
I must admit, I did laugh out loud because my eyes were telling me something, but my brain refused to believe it. Can the stakes get any lower!
Overall, I did enjoy some solid acting from Mirren, Shea and Angelis (who was superb as the scary Alex). It was great to see London again at the cusp of the late 70s / early 80s.
It is a shame the film ended on such a bum note. The second half needed a tighter script with higher stakes at play. -
stevelivesey-371839 August 2023One 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. -
christopher-underwood1 October 2019Much 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.
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tim-764-2918564 August 2011I 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!