Released | Apr 30th, 1989 |
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Running Time | 90 |
Director | John Travis |
Company | Image Studios |
Cast | Brad Philips, Michael Britten, Tom Steele, Rick Stryker, Butch Taylor, Doug Niles, Jake Corbin, Paul Coder, Dan Wade, George Madera |
Critical Rating | AAAA |
Genre | Gay and Bi |
“Genitals ain’t got no personality,” quipped Mae West, explaining her dislike of X-rated films. Now John Travis joins the handful of directors who have proved her wrong – and adds one of his titles to my personal list of the top ten gay videos since the invention of the camera. (After 16 years of viewing – and six years of reviewing – mostly the mediocre and the downright awful, it feels like I’ve been around that long).
So how do you give personality to an erection? You coax the actor who sports into a simple but well-defined characterization and back him up with structure, theme and irony, recording the whole with a technical expertise that makes the viewer forget you’re shooting direct to video.
Start with three undercover cops on a stakeout, portrayed by actors with sexual charisma: an uptight divorced father (Tom Steele), a gay man inching out on the job (Dough Niles) and a sexual opportunist (Brad Phillips). Then, following in the voyeuristic footsteps of Pasolini’s Salo and Hitchcock’s Rear Window, have the uptight cop witness through binoculars a series of episodes that depict common stages in the development of gay sexuality: peer “punishment” of the outsider, straight trade, leather/domination games and casual tricking.
Punctuate this thematic structure with solo masturbation, where all male sexuality begins, and underscore the irony of the tight white collar’s attraction/repulsion by having him turn on to every scene until a fellow cop is involved and brings the “problem” too close to home. Then end with a confrontation between the voyeur and the gay man, resolving the sexual suspense and suggesting the start of an ongoing relationship.
By way of polish, add touches of humor throughout and inspire in Costello Presley a score that doesn’t sound like all his others. And if you’re really attentive to detail, wrap up the stakeout with an explosion that parallels the sexual catharsis and capture on film the unforgettable smile of Dough Niles, who reduces the Mona Lisa to a scowl.
When this rare, archetypal gay sexvid becomes available via wholesale, stores who are serious must stock it.