Director/writer John Bruno is expert at raking through the muckier parts of gay male fantasy and desire. The opening sequence in Vanished immediately sets a grim tone; Jake Dakota's pal has gone missing, and clues lead Dakota into the bowels of an underground sex society. The sex Dakota witnesses is aggressive and impersonal, guys bound and gagged with asses upturned, some waiting for an anonymous top to take the plunge. Bruno sets the stage with the requisite props - slings, masks, cages, dildos - and gets high marks for some stunning visuals, models snared in elaborate leather contraptions, helplessly dangling over flooded floors while menacing brutes cruise the labyrinths looking for prey. The finale packs the greatest punch, those moments when Dakota learns his pal's fate.

RETAILING: With its predictable selection of stocky, hairy models, this flick will blend seamlessly with other titles in the Mustang line.