Sometimes when I'm watching on-screen sex between two incredibly beautiful men, I'm left feeling dumbfounded and erection-less by the time the action transitions to whatever's next. All the elements of the set-up -- videography, lighting, and even the men -- point to eventual fireworks. But then when the fireworks fail, I can't seem to figure out why the scene sputtered and died.

"Tough Guys: Gettin' Off," on the other hand, is a white-hot sizzler from start to finish. Slow and easy, the chemistry between Blu Kennedy and Mike Grant may provide the perfect gay porn primer. Take note: even the simple things, like having them communicate with their eyes, can guarantee big results. Blu and Mike, here portraying new hire and bossman respectively, use the sparse dialogue to their advantage, choosing instead to get the message across with tentative touches and sex glares that could melt wax without flame. When Blu gets bored at his job, he heads to the toilet for a mid-day wank. His new boss, played to the hilt by Mike Grant, interrupts but plays it cool, leaning against a door jamb and enjoying the show. Seconds pass, turning into minutes as the sexual tension becomes almost unbearable. Their physiques offer quite a contrast: Blu, a slight redhead with farmboy good looks and a prick of death meets his match in Mike Grant, an older, hairier and altogether more experienced stud. Mike is sweetly encouraging, urging Blu to give him a show, all the while pawing the front of his perfectly pressed trousers. Mike inches into the restroom, non-verbally asking Blu for permission as he closes the gap. By the time Mike finally wrapped his paw around Blu's milky-skinned prick, I was practically shouting at the screen, aching for Mike to put Blu into his mouth. Blu eventually succumbs. Touching leads to sucking, then rimming, the fucking being the ultimate pay-off. Expertly executed and performed, Blu and Mike came across as both student and teacher, and equally matched sex rivals. The scene left me winded and shaky, but in a good way ... a very good way.

The next fantasy sequence titled "Good Cop, Bad Cop" pits Michael Soldier against the enigmatic Trent Cougar. In some sort of deep shit, Michael's having to play with Trent's cock seems more like a reward than a punishment. His situation is precarious and pleasing Trent becomes essential to his release. Like the previous scene, the directors slowly stoke the fires between the men, creating a pleasing and compelling eroticism as Michael gingerly frees Trent from his polyester pants. Michael walks on eggshells, petting Trent's dick until it comes into full bloom. Waiting for Michael to put it in his mouth is agonizing for both Trent and the viewer. Michael Soldier has not looked better than he does here, his hair shaggy and unkempt, a half-day's worth of beard giving him a worn appearance. And of course Trent looks much better once he sheds the undercover cop duds and shows off his muscles. The conference room, with its grey walls and staid office furniture, wasn't designed for this kind of brutal interrogation, Trent and Michael pushing aside chairs to make better use of the conference table. Like dogs in heat, Michael squats and Trent pulls apart the cheeks of his ass. Both of these men have hot holes, but I prefer Trent's smooth and groomed rosebud, deliciously exposed as he rims and sucks on Michael's furrier one. Mike only gets a momentary finger-fucking in preparation for Trent's cock. Trent maneuvers Michael to the sharp corner of the long table, ignoring Michael's squashed cock and balls while he plows. Michael seems to enjoy the rough interplay, going over the top when he's flipped and fucked on his back.

The sex play in "Spare Room" is much more generic, two blue-collar types, Rhet Hengst and Dean Santiago, grappling for the dominant role on the carpeted floor. While we watch, we realize this isn't sex play between two roommates, but between tenant and landlord. Turns out that Dean just couldn't resist letting himself into Rhet's pad to rifle through his tenant's underwear drawer. Consequences for trespassing should only be this dire. Rhet overpowers Dean and strips him, shifting the power balance effortlessly. Dean, lean, sculpted and tan, doesn't put up much of a struggle once Rhet sits on his chest and sticks his thick cock in his face, easily slipping into a submissive role. After a quick sniff, Rhet attacks his landlord's asshole with his tongue while Dean masturbates and watches Rhet's bobbing head with stupefied wonder. Rhet stands powerfully above Dean, his cock stiff and pointing skyward, tightly bound with a menacing black cockring. His prick is made even larger by his closely-trimmed bush, his pubes clipped down next to nothing. Dean sucks it precisely, guiding this pretty piece into his wet mouth by squeezing Rhet's nuts. While he's getting fucked, Dean concentrates on relaxing. He keeps one greasy hand near his cock and balls and uses the other to cradle his head. It's a lovely picture -- Dean's sexy armpit exposed while a muscular and tattooed top exacts his revenge. After both have cum, there are some excellent shots of Rhet's spent prick, still engorged and slick with spunk.

The final offering is titled "Bukkake Garage," an ominous title, indeed. Waiting calmly on his knees, smack in the center of the cement floor is Sam Dixon. Tom Lazzari, a grease-monkey type straight out of Central Casting, gets assurances from Sam that this is what he wants -- having pride of place as the centerpiece of a rough and tumble bukkake session. Getting the green light, Tom gets on the horn and puts out the call. It's quite a gathering: Fyerfli, Marco Paris, Dillon Press, Arpad Miklos, Nick Piston and Danny Hunter. Fyerfli is the first to arrive and is the first to stick his dick in Sam's mouth. With the floodgates open, soon Sam is surrounded by all the tough guys he can manage. He spins on his haunches, furiously trying to keep up with the gruff commands from one horny wolf pack, growls and grunts coming from every direction. Arpad Miklos is stylishly late, circling Sam and the other men like the top dog, gorgeous in his shockingly white wife-beater. As the oral orgy gets into fourth gear, Tom Lazzari is gracious enough to squat beside Sam and offer assistance, his greasy hair tied back into a ponytail which dangles from underneath a pressed bandanna. It's sleaze mixed with impeccable style. The garage is open and Tom and Sam work feverishly to service the loutish clientele. The only downside to having such a good buddy is having to share the cum. Once the guys start to unload, Tom horns in, robbing Sam of some wicked facials. Everyone gets off in style, the stench of sweaty balls and armpits, motor oil and cum creating a funky mist.

Too often, authentic chemistry on-screen is left unexploited in favor of bigger pecs, editing effects, or production values. In "Tough Guys: Gettin' Off," sexual tension, often an intangible in porn, gets revved up layer upon layer, scene on top of scene. This is one film impossible to contain, putting me in mind of classics from studios like Nova and early Joe Gage. I was once again reminded, graphically, what top-notch all-male porn can be.

DVD features (embossed metal keepcase): Chapters; cum-shots chapter; trailer ("Prowl 4: Back with a Vengeance"); and no regional coding (playable worldwide).

A DVD Review by Rick Forrent

In "The New Hire," mechanic Blu Kennedy is alone during lunch and decides to whip out his blue-veiner and wank in the men's room. His new boss, Mike Grant, walks in on him and stands there while Kennedy beats off. The casual manner in which the two talk while Kennedy strokes is amazingly hot. Grant fits the "daddy" image beautifully and encourages Kennedy to keep going while he pulls out his own meat. The chemistry between the two is palpable, particularly the way that Grant tentatively takes Kennedy's pink cockhead in his mouth and meets Kennedy's gaze. After the amazing deep throating, Kennedy returns the favor and then opens his pale cheeks for Grant to dive into. Kennedy gets impaled over and over by the dominating bulk of Grant's thrusting body (and Kennedy keeps his hard-on the whole time!). The casting in this scene is brilliant; Kennedy's pale youthful body contrasts starkly with the rugged and tanned features of Grant and makes this one of the strongest scenes in the movie.

In "Good Cop/Bad Cop," detective Trent Cougar threatens conman Michael Soldier into giving one of the best blow jobs of Soldier's esteemed porn careers. Hesitant and appearing for all the world like this is the first time he's had a man's dick in his mouth (complete with a sneering mouthful of cock and gagging), Soldier starts off disgusted and ends up power-deep-throating Cougar and begging to get fucked. The anal sequence features strong performances from both, but it's the drawn out oral foreplay that really got me going.

"Spare Room" features a little rough-and-tumble wrestling from Dean Santiago and his father's tenant, Rhet Hengst. Hengst bullies the younger Santiago into sucking his cock in the old "alpha male" ploy and then rams it deep inside Santiago's bowels. Although the other scenarios in Tough Guys is better, I didn't fast forward through this scene, and, no, it's not just because it's my job to watch it.

"Bukkake Garage" stars the kind of rough trade, tattooed guys that you would want to find in a garage. After Tom Lazzari confirms that Sam Dixon is "up to it," he calls his buddies who file in one by one to get a nice, slow hummer from Dixon. Throughout the scene, the guys start shedding clothes and exchanging hand jobs -- no one kisses or gets fucked. The sense that it really is just a big circle jerk is pretty believable. One by one, they all jack off on Dixon and Lazzari's face and chest. Fuck Jiffy Lube -- I'm going here for my next oil change.

Much like the movie itself, the DVD extras get right to the point: There's only a chapter index and cumshot review. That's it; you'll need little else. Oh, maybe some lube.

- Jack Moore