Superbly written, directed, acted, photographed, edited, scored, art directed - Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons lives up to its hype. This modern gay version of the famous 18th-century novel of manipulation and deception

is one of the best of the year and Michael Lucas' finest movie ever. Gus Mattox moves to the forefront of gay porn actors with his breezy performance as a sexually irresistible photographer who accepts Lucas' challenge to seduce Lucas' former lover's new boyfriend - and bring back evidence. Scheming Lucas (another first-rate performance) withholds the promised reward, which results in one catastrophe when he turns up at Mattox's art-opening at the movie's climax, and some unexpected scheming by another Lucas pawn results in another. In fact, no one wins this dangerous game - except the viewer. The performers are not only some of the finest actors in XXX, they are some of its best fucks too. The dialogue is always interesting and expertly-delivered - you never think of it as something to be painfully endured before the next sex scene, all of which unfold nicely as part of the plot. (There are also cinematic details we're unused to seeing in porn, for which writer/videographer/editor Tony DiMarco deserves much credit.) Of the major characters, extravagantly-hung bodybuilder Bruce Beckham is the least well-known, and watching him bottom hungrily for Mattox is 100 percent hot. The other four scenes have the heat and excitement a Lucas movie guarantees with the added benefit of many of the men coming while being fucked. In addition to extended cast and gay-celebrity interviews on Disc 2, the Director's cut also includes an extremely erotic watersports scene between Lucas and Larson. Dangerous Liaisons is a certified triumph for Michael Lucas.