Actor Edmund Kean reportedly said on his deathbed, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."

Comedy is hard. Comedy and drama are impossible. Throw in hardcore sex and philosophy, and it's like juggling chainsaws during a bungee jump. To survive such a challenge is an accomplishment. With Beat the Devil, Robby D. triumphs.

Crippled, impoverished unattractive loser Eric Shmerick (Eric Masterson) sold his soul to the devil, here called Belial (Evan Stone), a few years ago and threw the crutches away, had plenty of coin in his pockets and started fucking fine women like Angel Long. But now, Shmerick wants to renegotiate his contract because he's aging, and his sexual function is waning. Belial isn't living up to his end of the bargain. This is painfully presented when Shmerick tries to fuck horny housewife Felicia Fox and can't finish the deed, earning him a berating and a bloody nose from otherwise-approving husband Tim Case. Shmerick introduces Belial to witchy woman Belladona (Jesse Jane), and makes his proposition: if Belial can outfuck this ripe blonde piece of ass here, Shmerick will relinquish his soul right now - against a possible 30-year renewal of the contract. Belial dives into Belladona, and the scene is like watching a dam burst: exciting and a little scary. (Those who have been waiting for Jesse Jane's first b/g will find their patience well rewarded.) She bests Belial, of course. And as Belial lies on a bar, spent, panting, sweating, sated, defeated, Shmerick tells him how he learned of Belladona's frightening sexual power in a scene that mixes a lot of heat with a chilling ending. And not only is Shmerick triumphant, but fate has one last comeuppance for Belial. Sic semper Satan.

Stone's Belial is filled with crazed energy, offering a rolled-up banknote ("Want some blow?") before shoving it up his own nose and leaving it there before declaring, "The deuce with it - drugs are so passé anyway," and blowing it away. It's a smartass throwaway pre-nom performance that looks like it was tailored to him. Eric Masterson plays to the gravitas of his unwillingly-aged character, still young at heart, but painfully aware that he's not on his A-game any more. Pre-nom. A well deserved editing pre-nom to editor Joey Pulgaris, mix-and-matching film-look images, scratched-film images, practically subliminal cuts and speeded-up parenthetical visual asides. And playing with the sound, too. But it's pre-nom screenwriter/pre-nom videographer/pre-nom director Robby D. whose deranged mind is on display here, with sudden zooms, throw-away lines ("The deuce with it"?) and enough ideas - visual, philosophical and sexual - to fill five lesser productions.

Stock.