HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — A new movie being described as a cross between “Boogie Nights” and “Goodfellas” that follows three men who dive into mid-‘90’s internet porn is being released by Paramount Pictures later this year.
“Middle Men’s” sleazy saga is based on true events and titillates with an array of tawdry mob connections, FBI agents, corrupt politicians, internet scam artists and porn stars.
The film's protagonist is a legitimate Texas businessman who partners with two online pros in a conspiracy to make a killing by billing porn consumers through a third party.
In an online interview, the movie’s producer Christoper Mallick notes that one character is based on his dealings with a business associate who wrote the original code that allowed credit card billing https://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/7/kpcs-chris-mallik-815591 .
According to a review in Variety, the film includes an early “masturbation montage” sequence never before seen in a Hollywood studio feature. “The point of this unique interlude is to illustrate a commercial niche unfilled as of 1997: ‘something to jerk off to over the Internet,’” Variety reported.
The film debuted in Cannes in 2009 and is written by “Midnight Run” scribe George Gallo.
The cast includes Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Kevin Pollak, James Caan, Gabriel Macht and Terry Crews.
