Review

In 2001 All Worlds Video launched a stunning and quite ambitious project - a gay porn version of the infamous "Seven Deadly Sins." A different director would create a video about each sin, featuring some of the biggest stars of the day. What’s more, each story would end with a cliffhanger that would all be resolved in one grand finale, an eighth video called Redemption.

The series instantly became a huge hit, with some great moments: Blake Harper lusting after then-boyfriend Jason Branch in Lust; Paul Carrigan envying the youth around him in Envy (if middle age looks like Paul Carrigan, bring it on!); and Eric Hanson in Wash West’s brilliant Gluttony, winner of five GayVNs including Best Picture.

Then the whole project mysteriously vanished.

Now, more than two years later, the “Sins” have suddenly been resurrected with the final Wrath and the promise of Redemption soon to come. Unfortunately, Wrath is not worth the wait.

Wrath had been assigned to Wim Hof, aka William Higgins, the man who virtually created Southern California pretty-boy porn in the early 80s and then moved to Prague, where he helped launch the Eastern European craze. This guy’s videos have the sunniest disposition anywhere, so giving him “wrath” was just asking for trouble.

The final version was obviously cobbled together to finish the series, but it doesn’t work very well. It consists of three admittedly very sexy military scenes shot by Hof tentatively connected by a framework ending with an orgy directed by Doug Jeffries.

Apparently the theme of Wrath is the abuse of power by superiors over subordinates, whether in the military or the neighborhood bar. That’s a plausible approach, except in Hof’s footage, the subordinates seem to be having a gay old time. Wrath opens in a Hapsburg military college. (How the hell did Hof manage that feat?)

A young, blond orderly with cleft chin and thick lips brings in tea and cigars for a strikingly handsome stubbled officer. As the officer sucks on his stogie, the orderly sucks on the officer. Given its Eastern European cast, Wrath is a foreskin-lover’s dream. The two change places; why should enlisted men have all the fun? They stretch out on a day-bed by a window for some relaxed 69 work before the orderly leans out the window and spreads his surprisingly hairy ass for the officer’s eager tongue. Finally, the officer climbs on top for a long, lively fuck, seen in succulent close-up. Both guys have their heads outside the window, so one can only wonder what the tourists must have thought. The scene ends with each man jerking the other off. The camera is at their feet, so the shooting cum slathers the lens, a favorite stunt of Higgins in his early days.

Cut to a modern day bar setting. Kyle Lewis, a hot newcomer with shaved head and striking angular features, has just told this story to his two waiters, the surly, unshaven, sex stud Alex LeMonde and dark-haired cutie Marcus Allen. In comes busboy Chad Thomas, lean with a touch of facial hair, asking for help. The three blow him off (which gets him mad - hmmmm!), and LeMonde starts recounting a story about how the underlings in his country’s military show proper respect.

We cut to the office of a WWII Eastern European general. (But isn’t LeMonde French?) General Cage Kejc, who looks a lot like Lewis, is discussing strategy with his colleague, a very young guy with a long shock of jet-black hair and wearing a ridiculous monocle. His orderly is one hot heel-clicking slab of beef, taller and muscular than either of them. He polishes his general’s boots before taking out the officer’s uncut cock for its own polishing. This guy knows how to suck - most Eastern Europeans don’t quite get it - and he excites the general enough to start sucking the “count” himself.

After more 69’ing between the general and his orderly, each officer climbs on the desk and spreads their cheeks for some serious rimming; the count’s ass is so hairy it needs a weed-whacker. The general bends his boy over the desk, lifts his leg and pounds with gusto. (Talk about entering Europe from the back door!) It’s a very enthusiastic fuck that both men clearly enjoy, while the more passive count is content to feed his cock to the orderly’s mouth.

So, where’s the wrath you ask?

Apparently it’s brewing between the two busboys, Thomas and the dark, ethnic Damon Stavros, who are tired of their bosses’ abuse. LeMonde puts them in their place with another military story, “Where position is everything.” Back in the general’s office, a very cute young orderly with short, curly black hair and a sturdy frame stretches out in the general’s chair with the general’s cigar. In walks the very boyish, light-skinned and adorable Pavel Korsakov as an army doctor. (Doogie Howser looked older than this guy.)

He promises not to turn in the orderly if he submits to a physical. The boy eagerly drops his pants and bends of the desk so the doc can insert a rectal thermometer (a nostalgic moment for bottoms everywhere). Korsakov slides it in and out, which doesn’t help take the temperature, but it sure does heat up the orderly. They take turns sucking each other off before more 69 service. Then comes the only flip-flop of the video: The doc fucks first rather gently, then the orderly gives Korsakov some rather bullish ass-play. As before, the two jerk each other off above the camera, and they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Back at the bar, Stavros and Thomas ask for their pay, but the only way they get it is if they service the three bosses. Thus the final orgy. As an actor, Doug Jeffries is an exciting, if underrated, sensualist. As a director, he’s less consistent. Some of his stuff can seem routine, and that happens with the orgy - three distinct sections that never vary. First the sucking: Stavros sucks both Lewis and Allen while Thomas sucks LeMonde, accompanied by a torrent of abuse from the tops. Next, the rimming: LeMonde eggs on Thomas as he rims Allen and Stavros as he rims Lewis, who periodically sucks off LeMonde. Third, the fucking: Allen bends Stavros over and plows him hard from behind, while Lewis fucks his face from the front. Meanwhile, Thomas sits down on LeMonde’s cock for a long, hard ride. Finally we get the cumming, as the three bosses shoot all over the busboys. As the video ends, the waiters tell the busboys to take care of the drunk Lewis. Thomas replies, “Sure, we’ll take good care of him.” Wrath then fades to black.

The disparity between the Hof and Jeffries footage is jarring. For one thing, Hof’s sex is done in silence, while the orgy is full generic porn-speak. How many times do we need to hear Allen say, “Yeah, eat my ass”? It’s also very odd that none of the actors are credited. Even the press notes don’t identify most of the Eastern Europeans. Sure, the sex works, and you’ll get off plenty - especially during the first two scenes and LeMonde’s pounding of Thomas - but with only four scenes, there’s not a lot of it.

One last note: Each “Sin” is introduced by a tough street stud named Rex Ryder, which combined make for one long strip tease. In Wrath we get the goods - Ryder ends the video by jerking himself off and giving the camera a juicy orgasm.

There are two extra scenes in the DVD, both by Hof. The first is set in his private sex club in Prague, between two attractive young men, one of whom pisses into a glass. The other is set outside and features an especially frolicsome fuck of a tall lanky blond. There is also a blooper reel and photo gallery from the Jeffries sections.

 -- Jameson Rodgers