Any professional athlete who's been divorced from the arena for a length of time knows what's it's like to lose timing, rhythm and muscle. It even happens in the world of XXX, though the shades of subtlety are less obvious than swinging wildly at a pitch way out of the strike zone.

Buttman's Inferno is the first release we've seen from John Stagliano for awhile, and the layoff shows, but as one might gather from the rating, it doesn't show too badly.

It's not until midway of Buttman's Inferno that Stagliano relinquishes the peripheral b.s. and begins hitting his familiar stride. Coincidentally, this occurs with the appearance of fabulous Krysti Lynn, and the festival of the ass begins in earnest. Up to this point, Buttman's Inferno is essentially a catchall for waste-not, want-not video footage that ranges from a mini-documentary of the Malibu fires last fall, an Angela Summers autograph/sex session; Gerry Pike doing a marvelous impersonation of a David Lee Roth music video (not on purpose) and teasing snippets of Jasper strutting around in a tight dress and high heels.

The chilling introductory scenes of Buttmans Inferno illustrate fear more accessibly than any news coverage of the Malibu conflagration 1 can recall. The flames have come perilously close to Stagliano's home, and he stands there like Custer staring at the Indians, putting the bead on a frightening study of crimson sky, helplessness and existentialism. In the middle of a moment that could be straight out of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, Stagliano frets about his collection of porno magazines. We acquire an interesting set of values during times of stress.

In the strategy of all great chess masters and pool players, Stagliano sets up a future move in the next sequence. A casual call to Roscoe Bowltree's new office introduces "secretary" Jasper who whets our appetites by doing the bendover, while Sydney Grace allows the Buttman to cop a feel of her set of naturals.

A quick cut to New Zealand. A strip bar finds Gerry Pike and Stagiiano naked as a pair of jaybirds, doing a version of "pole" dancing that would get them 5 to 10 in the states. An obviously pre-arranged ploy, five shrieking women descend on stage and feed on Pike like starved wolverines. Another version of the old hotel room trick then finds neither Felipe nor Joey Silvera but Gerry to do the honors with Cindy Jones, who's a somewhat scrawny variation on Nicole Kidman. A promise of an ass fuck is in the offing as Gerry stretches Cindy's butthole obscenely wide, but delivers more traditional fare.

Angela Summers who's prominent throughout the first half of this vid, is captured on camera during an autograph session at a video warehouse in New Zealand. Stylin' and profilin', Angela spreads her ass and treats a couple of startled fans to some good old-fashioned American cocksucking and doggie-style action.

Back in San Diego, Tim Lake and Stagliano stalk Krysti Lynn by a lake, and with it, comes the blistering turning point of this vid. Krysti goes indoors and smokes up the joint with one of the greatest ass/foot/legs tease sequences yet recorded in this series.

Bad boys Lake and Stagliano are later caught peeping through a win­dow at Sheena, a lovely tall blonde with natural tits and one of the most geologic-worthy assholes on the face of this earth. Guy DiSilva (not to be confused with his brother Aqua) invites them in for a first-hand peak at the merchandise. And since everyone seems to know everyone else in the Buttman format, it's only natural that Krysti joins in triggering ribaldry that begins with massagers the size of industrial toilet plungers. Both ladies are bountifully in evidence in a scene highlighted by Lake doing one for the Gipper in Krysti's butthole.

The finale takes a while to set up and features Buck Adams pulling off one of his trademark psychotic tizzies in Roscoe's office. Tracking the lion to his lair, Jasper, a kewpie doll with fabulous Little Orphan Annie eyes, finds Buck exerting his creative juices on Sydney Grace. The resultant threesome culminates with Buck locking Jasper in the doggie position, then fucking Sydney in the ass.

Stagliano always manages to find a twist or two that sets one Buttman feature off from the rest. Buttman's Inferno is a zesty pastiche of gonzo, anal, travelogue, hardcore reality, foot fetish, ass worship and Krysti Lynn. A fascinating entree in this series.