Corruption

Why? Because this bad boy is the straight-up Godfather of adult entertainment. As I watched it, I could only keep wondering, How the hell is anyone ever going to be able to top this? And more important, who's gonna have the balls to try?

Yes, the film is shocking. Yes, it's brutal. Yes, it's unflinching. But it needs to be. The story calls for it. To give the viewer anything less would be a total cop-out. Writer-director Eli Cross never second-guesses the audience, and he never backs off.

Simply put, this is a film about some very highly damaged people. You wouldn't want to know folks like this and, if you do, then I'm not sure I want to know you.

David Walker Helms (Eli Cross) is the first Republican senator in California in a decade...and the most ruthless son-of-a-bitch you'll ever meet. When he isn't plotting his utterly calculated rise to power, he is ruthlessly toying with those around him -- had he not gotten into politics, he would have made an excellent serial killer. And as portrayed by Pryor, he is pitch perfect. He is Jim Jones, he is the anti-Christ, he is Dracula, freshly arisen from the grave and ready to fucking roll.

As Natasha, Helms' sex slave, Hillary Scott gives an amazing performance. Her portrayal of the dehumanized girl is never anything less than totally believable; she’s way in over her head, and we believe her every step of the way. She maintains her sullen stoicism throughout all of the degradation and horror that is done to her, clinging stubbornly to her sanity when BAM! The bottom finally falls out from beneath her feet. Her breakdown scene is nothing short of superb. Scott makes Natasha’s agony palpable.

Cross populates his film with a wide array of completely believable characters played by memorable actors. In an odd turn of events for an adult film, he actually chose people who fit their parts rather than grabbing whoever was available that day to shove in there.

The sexuality: There's a darkness to it, a violence that seeps out and permeates the surrounding edges of the camera frame. You know how you watch a gonzo film and keep thinking, "Is it necessary to slap her around and degrade her like that?" In this film, there's a point to it all. This isn't a "sex for the sake of sex" movie. The main themes of the film are domination and power, and the sexuality has to reflect that. How Cross did this while somehow eroticizing degradation is beyond me.

The "Bless Me Father" scene is a triumph of musical bravado and stark imagery. It's deeply horrific and yet strangely beautiful to watch; like someone once said about Kramer on Seinfeld, "He is a loathsome, offensive brute ... yet I cannot look away."

And that's what sets this film apart: The film has real weight -- emotional, physical, spiritual weight -- that I've never seen before in an adult film. It's dark and horrible but fascinating to look at, like a newly formed bruise.

I gave a shit about Natasha; I gave a crap about Alan Cavanaugh, the reporter played by James Deen. I wanted to see Helms get his comeuppance -- or whatever it was that was finally coming to him. I can honestly say that I have never been emotionally invested in an adult film before this one.

Another outstanding thing I have to mention is the overall production quality. This isn't an on-the-fly production. The lighting guy knew what he was doing. The production designer knew what he was doing. Nic Danger, the cameraman, knew what he was doing. This ain’t your father’s old school stag film. This is a thoughtfully laid out film with a good story, great visuals and actual consequences for all of its characters, and the success of films like this and Pirates proves that today's consumers want to see high quality, story-driven adult entertainment.

I found myself marveling at the juxtaposition of music, editing and narrative in many moments of the film. Many of them, again, echo themes similar to the Godfather films. And if I had to complain about anything in the film, it's that a few of the sex scenes are too long. (Yes, I am the first porn reviewer in history to ever complain about that. Someone call the folks at the Guiness Book of World Records.)

With its ambiguous ending, I have to say that I can't wait to see what Cross has in store if he plans to shoot a follow-up. I would love to see a Godfather II-like sequel that shows us Helms’ rise to presidential power while occasionally flashing back to show us the bloody details of his beginnings in politics. (Just do us a favor, Eli, and have mercy. Do what Coppola should have done and wrap things up without the crappy Part III!)