Review

One of Jean-Daniel Cadinot's most notorious and ferocious, the director shocked both his fans and the industry with Les Minets Sauvages - a brutal look at schoolboys run amok. Bordering on cruel, it's one that needs to be experienced. While not consisting of the wall-to-wall sex he would later become a master of, the scenes that do go "full hardcore" are true standouts. There's quite a bit of plot development to get through (the pangs of being alone, etc.), and it wouldn't be right if I didn't warn you that practically none of the sex seen here is portrayed as positive or life-affirming - not even the "romantic" finale.

Young Didier Hamel is tossed into what has to be one of the roughest reform schools on Earth; basically it's the "bullies run the show" kind of thing and it never, ever lets up. Poor Hamel is constantly harassed, brutalized and raped. In other words, this ain't no twinkie love-fest. As a matter of fact, most of the guys here truly live up to the title as far as looks go. There are several cuties here, but they all have a pretty rough veneer to them. Also, the tech credits are a little rough in spots (though the DVD looks terrific), the French dubbing pretty shaky, and many of the scenes are very dark and tough to focus on.

That being said... I dare you - yes, I said I dare you - not to blow your load during the nighttime dorm sequence. Shot mainly with the guys holding flashlights as one after the other literally rapes young Hamel (complete with hair pulling, choking, throat assaults and rough fingering) to the point of whimpers and screams. I've watched this scene more times than I care to admit, and to this day it's one of the hottest things I've ever seen.

While non-fans may be bored, this is one of Cadinot's biggest-selling titles in the U.S. market. So if brooding schoolboys, rape, and all-things-French get your meat-slab all stiff, you can't pass up on this. Trendsetting, dark and sleazy, it's a must for collectors.

 -- Keeneye Reeves