"Sloth" is an easy candidate for one of the better entries of the "Seven Deadly Sins" series. Director Thor Stephans does a splendid job here pulling together not only a wonderful cabal of performers, but also a glittering physical production and all the non-sexual aspects of porn we so take for granted. It's also worth mentioning that sloth is perhaps the hardest of the sins to sexually exploit, for laziness and sex don't often go hand in hand. The shining star in Stephan's group of boys has long been Steve Cassidy, and his presence here adds tremendously to the artistic weightiness of the film.
"In the future, there will only be the lazy rich and the lazy poor." That's what the film's introduction tells us. Steve is one of the lazy rich, relaxing in his bed throughout the entire video ordering men from his television (this is the future) and listening to news bites as his eyes close in boredom. Draped on a large bed with blowing curtains, Steve Cassidy is a truly amazing sight. His sheer stature dwarfs nearly everyone in the video, made even more imposing by tattoos and hair and a craggy face that says "Don't fuck with me ... okay, come here!" He's at once sweet and ominous. He wants a man to please him, so he barks his specifications at the TV and over pops Lance Gear, a hairy strapping figure. The chemistry between them is intense from the first moment and helps to make this not only the best scene, but also one of the better scenes of the year. Their no-boys-allowed bodies are a great pair, and they basically cover each other in saliva -- heads, armpits and mouths. Lance is an oral master, so the combination of his deep-throat technique combined with Steve's helpful thrusting makes for a great segment. Steve's long luscious dick looks great going in and out of Lance's wet mouth. Then Steve gets to suck and even gobble Lance even more hungrily, slurping down the cock feverishly with Lance sitting atop his face. Some spitting starts here as they pin each other for control before the rimming starts. Steve literally pushes Lance onto his own head and eats his ass, big time. Lance squirms for dominance, but big Steve's desire to munch is too much, evident by the sweat reeling off his body. Lance rims Steve with the same level of urgency, and you can actually see him chewing, his focused eyes never seeming to leave Steve's face.
Lance then faux-fucks Steve, which is most notable for Steve actually slapping his ass against the dick and proving solid muscle can move with easy energy. Finally, it's time for the fucking, and since Lance is this year's breakout performer, it's everything you would expect. Lance starts big and never gives up. Steve's moundy ass is pure delight, and Lance can push as hard as he wants up against it without worrying he's about to snap some glamorous twink. There is no let up from either of them, no matter the performer, and the redness of their dreamy faces tells how real this is. Lance just gyrates his whole body into his swings and it seems absolutely effortless for him to produce such a stunning fuck. After Steve cums, they head into the shower, kissing the whole way, where Steve announces it's Lance's turn. The addition of a flip-flop here isn't just icing on the cake after this scene, but a smart move meant to further highlight the video's best players. Steve teases Lance by spitting water all over him, and Lance smiles big, muttering some kind of sweet-nothing to Steve that is obviously not in the script. With his magnificent abs leading the way, Steve gives Lance as good as he got. Watch his shoulder muscles twitch as he fucks Lance, his hard fists positioned staunchly on Lance's ass, his butt thrusting heavily into his bottom. Lance doesn't let Steve crash into his ass without some pushback, so the fuck equals the level of the one previously. Steve looks positively possessed during the scene. Lance licks his cum-shot off Steve's chest before Steve literally kicks Lance out, his job now done. The combination of two such excellent performers is a masterstroke of casting and it pays off tenfold as these two earn the stars they must have seen filming it.
Steve watches a news story about people having sex in highway underpasses. One of the poor lazy turns out to be wino Mike Radcliffe, whose tall beefy muscular body and teddy bear face could find him easy entry off the streets and into any number of plush homes. Dastardly J.J. Bond, in dark make-up and a leather jacket to blunt his handsome sharp-nosed face, forces Mike to suck his cock. Mike is another dependable pro, so he has no trouble taking totally the dick of the nipple-pierced J.J. The dick really does grow to a fine size as Mike handles it, with his customary love of slurping sounds intact. J.J. tears off Mike's ripped jeans (dotted with dirt make-up) and announces "you're gonna give up that ass" to a man at least double his size. But, J.J. does bend Mike over a shopping cart, picks up a dirty condom (a nice touch, one of many from the dependably meticulous Thor), and fucks Mike. J.J. fucks Mike heartily, and for his part, Mike plays the drunk well, pretending not to realize what's happening but, in a mutated missionary-style, Mike finally joins the action, making J.J. work harder to get at him. The sideways fuck looks great in the murky lighting, and then J.J. cums on Mike's leg. If this scene doesn't quite have the mind-blowing energy of the previous one, it's a much more standard scene that works well on its own.
Next, Steve sees a story about a drifter who wants to fuck and rob young victims. The perp is Chad Johnson, looking fan-fucking-tastic in his older, grizzly, hairy, perfectly-shaped splendor. Chad finds his way to a mansion where rich Dylan Reece, a great foil with dark black hair and a hairless tight small body, lays on the stairs lazily, wearing nothing but a hard-on and a mesh caftan. Chad and Dylan see each other and flirt with their cocks through French doors, which is a nice teasing touch to this scene. Finally, upon entry, Chad's very long cock proves to be the first one I've ever seen Dylan Reece not deep-throat. It's not a negative comment aimed at Dylan, for there are few better oral kings, but it's a compliment to Chad's truly spectacular dick. Dylan does give a customarily frisky blowjob, taking care to chew and lick as well as suck. Chad, now sporting a pierced eyebrow to match the gold ring setting off his navel against a beautifully hairy set of abs, fucks Dylan on a reflecting floor. Dylan opens all the way to take Chad, finally finding a hole on his body that can handle all of Chad. For his part, Chad seems to fuck without moving a muscle on his body. It's so easy for him just to grind his hips into Dylan, but it's not laziness, it's just spectacular talent. He does an even better job with Dylan on his back, and now Chad literally springs into action, thrusting quickly and powerfully into Dylan, who certainly doesn't disagree or fight it. Chad spills an eye-popping load onto Dylan's chest, a shock even to his partner. It was a great idea to pair Dylan, a twinkier sort, with gruff Chad, for the characters they assume make the chemistry of the scene work even better than the solid excitable sex they produce.
In the final scene, Steve hears a story of a sleazy gay motel where people roam the halls looking for sex. In this splendidly edited scene, courtesy of Andrew Rosen, Gregg Rockwell is one of the bored inmates. With a tattoo on each arm and a body that defines "tight," Gregg paces in his small room in a montage that is wonderfully put together, before putting on a towel and finding his way to the room of Andrew Addams, a slightly older but incredibly handsome man (the kind every mother would love to have added to her family pictures). Gregg silently offers his long dick to the squared-faced Andrew, and the latter slowly and sensually sucks it, managing to take it all in, including some imposing veins. Brilliantly, with oodles of atmosphere, the action slowly opens up to Andrew feeling around his own bulbous ass, waiting for Gregg to finally touch it. It's a great ass and the shift in focus is not a bad thing. Gregg does get down there, feeling the deep hole and muscled cheeks, but the blowjob, still with teasingly slow style, turns into a 69. This helps Andrew greatly, but Gregg can't manage more than the head. The anal action, after even more of Andrew blowing wonderfully, starts with Andrew on his stomach. The other three were built of anonymous energy, and this scene has a lazier knowing way to it, at least initially. After a long while, Gregg does eventually spring into action, fucking more quickly than anyone else so far, so fast that at times the camera can barely see more than a blur.
In the end, Steve hears about a fever in town manifesting itself into rabid lust, called "sloth fever." He slips into a mysterious coma of sleep as the news trails off. We'll have to wait for "Redemption" (the epilogue of the "Seven Deadly Sins" series, the eighth and final installment) to see how Steve overcomes this vaporous disease.
"Sloth" is a fine production, notable for its varied set design, exquisitely moody lighting and picture-perfect make-up from Mr. Ed (who has a cameo as a vagrant). The four scenes are all one-on-one vignettes, so it makes it even more important that the models chosen fit together, which in most cases is an easy task here. The first scene is a true doozy, remarkable for a show of chemistry and for two titanic performers proving what talent really means. Steve Cassidy handles the lead with a combination of seething brute sexuality and his customary actual acting ability. Dependable pros like Chad Johnson and Lance Gear bring with them their unique abilities and "Sloth" turns out to be a "gripping" video -- one that aims to show laziness without having any in presenting it. It most certainly doesn't.
A Video Review by Brent Blue