Rome wasn't conquered in a day, or at least that's what they tell me. I can sum up everything I know about Roman history inside a thimble. And between the Shakespearean play, the pumped-up blond American porn star, Brando's film and all the Jesus hubbub, damned if I don't have all my Caesars completely jumbled. After watching director Csaba Borbély's "Empire of Caesar," populated with Eastern European performers, I can't honestly say that I'm any further along sorting out this jumble, but these are history lessons I can live with.
It certainly seems as if no expense was spared to bring a little authenticity to Julius Caesar's palace. As Caesar, Gino Francesco, strolls through the marble halls, he's attended by a small cadre of humpy servants, all decked out in the same flowing garb. But none of Gino's footmen can quite hold a candle to Claudio Antonelli, a goateed stud who plays his scheming lover. From the outset, Caesar's hungry for cock and appears to get his fill with Claudio. Both men quickly strip out of their Roman drag, with the exception of sharp-looking silver laurels and couture strapped boots. Gino sneaks in a little finger action while he blows Claudio, and then forcefully puts him into the bottom role. I guess when you're ruling an entire nation, you're the top by default. While they fuck, menservants come and go, barely raising an eyebrow when they stumble upon the lord and master boning another guy. Near the end of their fuck, Gino maneuvers Claudio into one spectacular position that's particularly athletic and affords the viewer unobstructed views of Claudio's bloated cock. Claudio ends up bringing Gino off with some nice head, forcing him to blow his load on one of Claudio's fabulously meaty pecs.
But if you sniff past all the sex funk in the air, the foul stink of treachery is hard to miss. As it is, Caesar is still in the closet, and while the spying staff may be unfazed, Caesar gets a little freaked out at the prospect of being found out. He paces frantically, carving a groove in the floor which rival Norma Desmond's deranged meanderings. Perhaps instead of worrying about being outed, he should head down to the indoor pool where three hotties -- Fredy Costa, Andreas Harris and Dean Michaels -- are shaking off the dirt from their travels with an intimate three-way suck-and-fuck.
In some ways, this is a bathhouse fantasy come to life: three magnificent specimens getting it on inside the hot tub. The sex is deliciously water-soaked. While they swap blowjobs, they relax half in and half out of the tub, the water acting like oil, carving out each flexed ab and bicep. The cocksucking is little more than a precursor. And after some brusque finger-fucking, Andreas locks onto Fredy's long prick while simultaneously plugging into Dean's fleshy backside. All three bundle together into a tight little sex knot and the visuals here are almost too much to handle. Switching up, Fredy takes a crack at Dean's ass while Andreas jerks off against a marble column. Dean looks particularly good with his close-cropped light brown chest hair and model good looks. The cum-shots that cap this scene are quite messy.
The plot thickens. Helmut Muller, unfortunately known to his Roman cohorts as "Commodus," schemes with Claudio to do away with our pal Caesar (Gino). Their murderous plottings are overheard by Austin Rogers, who then threatens to play tattletale and spoil everything. Rather than simply do away with Austin (there's never any logic in porn), Helmut extracts a promise of silence by waving his uncut cock in Austin's face. After all, who can run and tell Caesar what's afoot when you've got eight inches of prime meat crammed down your throat? Throw Gerry Preston into the mix and all that treachery is yesterday's news. At one point, Helmut is orally serviced by both Gerry and Austin and can do little more than pant with two pink tongues sliding up and down the length of his shaft. Then with Gerry and Austin seated across from one another on chairs, Helmut prissily mounts each buddy in succession, indiscriminately cramming his hungry ass with dick. The fucking is briefly interrupted by some voracious rimming, and then it's back to cocksucking until everyone shoots their load.
Austin isn't deterred, however, and runs willy-nilly to the emperor, hoping to earn his favor by uncovering the murder plot. Turns out they have a romantic history, and rather than be bothered with troublesome assassination updates, Caesar would rather fan some old flames, finding out what's lurking underneath Austin's flowery tunic. Austin does have a magnificent, lean physique and his pecs are accented by a very heavy silver medallion which bounces a bit while Gino gives him head. They're watched by a third guy -- no one ever seems to be able to find the privacy to fuck at the palace -- but Austin goes on blowing Gino undeterred. Ready to cum, Austin stands erect and bends back a few inches on his heels, aiming his load onto his perfect stomach. Austin then helps finish off Gino with his vacuum mouth.
After busting his nut, Caesar is now in the right frame of mind to hear about the assassination plot. When he hears the news, this muscular stud lapses into frilly camp, his hand flying to his mouth to suppress a gasp of surprise. Gathering his comrades together in the grand ballroom, Caesar punishes the two would-be assassins by having them fight each other to the death. Finally, with all that nasty regicide business put aside, those who remain can celebrate with a cock-stiffening Roman-style four-man orgy!
After a brief interlude featuring two Roman soldiers mutually jerking off, each soldier inspired by watching the other across the great hall, "Empire of Caesar" rolls out its finale. My personal fave remains the redheaded Alfredo Castaldo, here featured with his ruddy locks shorn to mere stubble. He's flanked by Eric Flower, Xavier Demarco and Antonio Martinelli, all of whom are as stunning to look at as Alfredo. The cocksucking is quick before we're into the anal action, Alfredo getting cornholed while on his hands and knees, bottoming right next to a buddy. The camera gets close enough to get some nasty snapshots of the fat dick wedging itself between Alfredo's thickly-muscled, freckled asscheeks -- for me, the highlight of this film. Alfredo takes a brief turn as a top, but he's too much of a hungry bottom to keep from getting plowed. Lying on the cold floor mosaic, he keeps a hearty stiffie while he's fucked, the milky skin of his shaft pulsing with excitement. The four-way and film conclude with the guys arranging themselves in a myriad of combinations, all of them eager to lick someone's cock.
Without the benefit of film crew dedicated solely to assuring continuity, some blaring gaffes go unchecked, most comically the 1940s sailor painted on the wall right next to the Byzantine frescoes. But you can't fault directly Csaba Borbely when it comes to the important stuff -- godlike studs having down and dirty mansex.
DVD features: Chapters; gallery; trailers ("Captured," "Mars Needs Men" and "Desperate Husbands"); no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Rick Forrent