No one puts on a show like Chi Chi LaRue. The inimitable directrix has helmed How The West Was Hung for All Worlds Video, an extravaganza whose costume budget alone could have financed several smaller films. Rising star Lane Fuller stars alongside the returning Axel Garret, while fresh-faced cuties like Javier Duran, Dean Phoenix, Chad Savage and newcummer Kenny show off their lovely goods. Unstoppable bottom Christopher Scott puts in a welcome appearance, as do dependable performers Spike and Jason Branch. And that isn't even half of the entire cast, not to mention numerous stagecoaches, horses, dogs and lots of bugs. Fuller and Garret share a sweet moment or two, but everyone will be talking about an intense "saloon brawl" that takes up most of the video's running time. Think one of the orgy scenes from the Link films, only with cowboy hats and sawdust.
My only quibble is that LaRue really breaks no new ground. We've seen Western-themed films before, albeit none with this level of production. Lots of money and time went into this film, but there is no plot to speak of, there are no characters and no real story. Aside from the aforementioned Fuller/Garret scene and the saloon orgy, the remaining three scenes are standard-issue. Ms. LaRue and I have had this discussion before, and I explained that I hold her to a higher standard than other directors. How The West Was Hung is filled with muscular, attractive men and plenty of good sex. LaRue's direction is fine. The sets and overall production design are fantastic. So am I being peevish in wishing that there was at least a wisp of a story to enjoy? Perhaps. Am I quibbling when I mention that there's nothing here we haven't seen before? Maybe. Let me state definitively that I enjoyed How The West Was Hung quite a bit. It's heartening that porn companies are yet willing (thank you, Dirk Yates) to invest a great deal of money in a film when 10 times the profit could be earned on a much-smaller budget. I simply found myself wishing for more from this film.
Axel Garret was lured back into the AWV fold recently, and it's a welcome return. His wholesome blond good looks and sweetly goofy smile are as alluring as ever. Lane Fuller is a trim, pert cutie with bedroom eyes and a nice, low-key sexual vibe. He's apparently some sort of mail-order groom for the horny Garret, and the two are paired in the video's final scene. It's a pleasant change of pace from the sweaty raunch of the previous scenes. Fuller sucks dick admirably and makes for a skilled bottom. He even maintains eye contact with Garret throughout, a nice touch that directors often fail to emphasize. They only exchange a few dry kisses, though, when it was obvious Fuller wanted more than that. The eye contact was a good touch, but some actual kissing would have put this scene over the top.
Now, as for that "saloon brawl" featuring a full 12 members of the cast, right away the star becomes clear, and his name is Christopher Scott. You'll have to watch the scene to really enjoy it, because words cannot describe Scott's hungry-for-more facial expressions and twitching asshole. He takes all of Jason Branch and Spike (both men amply endowed) in a long double-penetration as if it were an everyday occurrence. I doff my Stetson to you, sir. Later, he positions himself around a table with Patrick Allen, Tanner Hayes and Frank Taylor for a tag-team circle fuck. Amazing stuff. Branch shows why he (along with his lover Blake Harper) is one of porn's go-to guys when you want a hot, dependably hard cock. Lucas James, whose video output is agonizingly slim, works over the pillowy ass of Dean Phoenix with a lovely series of smooth, slow strokes. Very sexy. Speaking of Phoenix, he grins and smiles no matter what he does and really comes across like he's having a blast. I loved it; too many models growl and grump as if they're being audited by the I.R.S. Sex is supposed to be fun; just ask Dean Phoenix. 19-year-old Chad Savage also wears a beautific grin as he sucks and fucks with every dick and ass within reach; his youthful enthusiasm is entirely winning. There's a lot more going on in this scene, but why spoil the fun? One final note ? keep an eye out for the circle jerk. Most of the cumshots are dribblers, but there are two volcanic pop shots that seemingly fly into the next county.
Bodacious Bruce Hill and the unbearably cute Javier Duran kick off the video's action in a standard scene set in a jail cell. What cranks up the heat here are the impish Duran's undeniable charisma (the AWV employee who enticed this gumdrop before the cameras deserves a fat raise), and Hill's mouth-wateringly plump pecs, thighs and ass. He also moans like a virgin, and it makes for a sexy backdrop for Duran's Spanish-language sex talk. Cute-as-a-bug's ear Kenny blows the beefy Haus Weston in a decent oral scene, although Weston's apparent heterosexuality gets in the way. As with the Fuller/Garret scene, there is no real connection between the two men. Strikingly handsome Danny Lee and big-dicked newcomer Marco Mancini also turn in another decent J/O set in a moving stagecoach, with several sleeping passengers nearby. The furtive aspect to the scene and Lee's sheer beauty add to the scene's steam factor.
Overall, How The West Was Hung offers production values on a level rarely seen in gay XXX. Jason Branch, Spike, Lane Fuller, Dean Phoenix and a few others are at the top of their game here. Christopher Scott is one of gay porn's hungriest bottoms, and several of the newcomers, like Danny Lee and Kenny, are sure to go on to great things. Two scenes suffer from a lack of real connection between the men, and there really is nothing new or different in terms of style or content. But what it does have, and lots of it, is good, solid sex gussied up a lot prettier than usual. Yee-haw.
- J.C. Adams