Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

HotToastyRag 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.

Martin Bradley The premiss may be a bit far-fetched but this screen version of Paul Theroux's novel "Doctor Slaughter" is surprisingly robust and very enjoyable. Sigourney Weaver is the underpaid American working for the Middle East Institute in London who decides to supplement her income by working for an escort agency. However, things get murky when one of her clients turns out to be Michael Caine's diplomat charged with brokering an Israeli/Arab peace deal. Has Sigourney been set up and if so, by whom? It's hardly believable, of course, but the director, Bob Swaim, ensures it moves at a fair clip though he does play down the thriller aspect to beef up the love story that develops between Caine and Weaver. He also keeps you guessing as to who is doing what to whom. It wasn't a success but it's also a lot better than its critical reputation might suggest.

David Bowman The original story, a novella by Paul Theroux, was turned into a screenplay, also by Theroux (he wrote several). It was terrific. You couldn't put it down. It was a highly-atmospheric work with complex characters. We struggled to find the right director, who could give it the right kind of film noir look at which Theroux was clearly aiming. We ran into early problems when few actors we approached for the female lead were willing to play this kind of a role. The nudity was not an issue; they just didn't "identify" with Dr. Slaughter.Signing Sigourney Weaver was a blessing but also a problem since she's taller than most leading men but fortunately, so is Michael Caine. We got lucky in that combination. We had long conferences with the director, who seemed to understand exactly what Theroux's concept was all about.During shooting in London, the RKO team (in New York and Los Angeles; our post-production group was based in London) kept asking the head of production how things were going, how the dailies looked, etc. He told us they were on time and under budget, which was true.When the film was finished, I went to London with the President of RKO Pictures to look at an assemble edit. It was almost unwatchable. I began to wonder if there was a good way to edit around the female lead. But it wasn't really her fault. Who could possibly undress Sigourney Weaver and make her look unsexy? That took a special kind of talent. We walked out of the screening room into the daylight of Dolphin Square and contemplated the end of our careers.Fortunately we were able to make other pictures and have the time to spend the rest of our lives wondering exactly how to apologize for this one.

peacham The premise was good. A young, attractive scientist moonlights as a call girl for money for scientific research and gets caught in an international web of intrigue and danger. However,as good as Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine are,the film is dull.The supporting cast walks theough their roles and by the time the climax comes Its too late. Actually the only well done scene is the climax.When the counter agent is finally revealed (actor's identity no revealed her for spoiler reasons)He takes Weaver by surprise and one of the most realistic fight scenes in a film occurs...ending with Weaver being rendered helpless by a brutal punch in the stomach. the scene is so real that it seems like it belonged in another film. My advice is to skip this one..A Valiant attempt..but a big miss.