Hussy

Hussy is a 1980 British film starring Helen Mirren, John Shea, and Paul Angelis, and directed by Matthew Chapman.

Plot

Beaty (Mirren) is a prostitute working at a London cabaret where Emory (John Shea) is a sound/lighting technician. They begin an affair encumbered by Beaty's job as a call girl. They eventually fall in love, but predictably he grows increasingly uncomfortable with her line of work. In addition Emory has a bit of a dark secret from his past involving the accidental death of his then-wife. To further complicate things, Beaty has shared custody of a young son.

Eventually a pair of unsavory characters from each of the lovers' pasts shows up and further endangers their love. Emory's gay friend Max (Murray Salem) arrives and wants to cut Emory in on an upcoming drug deal. He is simultaneously foppish, arrogant and abrasive. Beaty's abusive former lover, the father of her son and possibly her pimp is Alex (Paul Angelis), a strong-arm gorilla type fresh out of prison also arrives, needing a place to stay. Alex is clearly a brutish psychopath who threatens Beaty and Emory's future. Emory and Beaty's two past companions could not be more different, Max is sophisticated, articulate, stylish and outspoken. Alex is a working class English thug, quiet, simple and burning with violent rage. Beaty rebuffs Alex's desire to rekindle whatever they had and this enrages him. He does however agree to be part of Max and Emory's caper (believing it to be gun smuggling).