Good idea lost in the noise

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

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!

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.

This 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.

Helen 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.