Woodyanders Ambitious businessman Williams (ably played by the always dependable Jamie Gillis) strikes a dangerous bargain with some shady mobster types in order to obtain a position of power. However, in the wake of being betrayed by sadistic and unfaithful associate Alan (a perfectly smarmy portrayal by George Payne), Williams has to seek help from his sleazy half brother Larry (a splendidly slimy performance by Bobby Astyr) to bail him out of a jam.Writer/director Roger Watkins relates the fascinatingly outré story at a steady pace, does an expert job of crafting a surreal nightmarish atmosphere, astutely captures a deliciously dark'n'decadent vibe, and presents the sex scenes in a startlingly cold, yet still oddly compelling context. Moreover, Watkins not only pulls off a real doozy of a surprise grim ending, but also even manages to make a provocative central point about the bitter spiritual and emotional price one must pay to get ahead in life. The sensuous presences of such lovely ladies as the luscious Vanessa Del Rio, slinky Tiffany Clark, buxom Nicole Bernard, and ravishing redhead Kelly Nichols provides a substantial amount of sizzle. Michael Gaunt contributes a memorably creepy turn as the ruthless Franklin. Larry Revene's sharp and moody cinematography makes neat use of garish lighting and stylized slow motion. James Flamberg's brooding synthesizer score does the funky-pulsating trick. Those with a taste for more esoteric hardcore fare should really dig this one.

Michael_Elliott Corruption (1983)*** (out of 4) Businessman Williams (Jamie Gillis) sells his soul for more power and soon he's going to realize exactly what that will cost him.Director Roger Watkins will always be best known for his infamous THE LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET but I personally found that to be a rather bad movie that has built up a reputation due to hype more than anything else. I had heard a lot of great things about CORRUPTION and I'm glad to say that this film actually did live up to the hype and it turned out to be a rather crazy and creative porn film.There's no question that this was aimed at the porn market with the non-stop sex scenes but at the same time it's clear that Watkins wanted to deliver something more. The film contains a little plot but more times than not you're asking yourself what's really going on. Nothing is ever as clear as you think it's going to be and more and more weirdness just adds up to the rather crazy conclusion.What really separates this film is how well-made it was. Watkins handles all the material quite well and the sex scenes are rather unique in their own way. They're filmed so emotionless and the actors show no emotion that this here just adds another level of weirdness to the film. The film was obviously shot on a low-budget but the set design was quite good and the use of color was wonderfully done and really adds a great atmosphere.The performances are what you'd expect from a film like this but Gillis at least does a good enough of a job to where you can say he gave a real performance and helped carry the film. CORRUPTION is a dark and twisted little film but it certainly deserves to be better known to fans of the director and the genre.

Dries Vermeulen It has been a while since I saw this film (at the now gone Cinéma Du Nord in Brussels) but I do remember as one of the most radical and beautiful adult film experiences of my entire life. The huge theater, nearly empty but for myself and a few other lost souls, was forever shrouded in darkness, even when the lights came on, a few dim bulbs right at the entrance which somehow managed to leave most of the area in comforting obscurity. How fitting for this downbeat masterpiece dealing with the darkness within man's soul to be screened here.The credited director, Richard Mahler (HER NAME WAS LISA and MIDNIGHT HEAT are additional porn classics to his name), is actually Roger Watkins as has recently been revealed in both magazines and on the net, the man responsible for the ultra-disturbing LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET. It somehow figures...Genre stalwart Jamie Gillis heads the cast as a man involved in a business deal with some very shady mafia types who will not hesitate at threatening or hurting both his family and friends to assure his full cooperation. He enters a seemingly disused building where he is guided through a number of color-coded rooms, witnessing some pretty strange goings-on. Some of these things are decidedly sexual in nature yet devoid of love or any recognizable human emotion. Like the viewer, Gillis is drawn in, fascinated by the coldly erotic display, wondering what it all means. His no good lowlife brother (the late Bobby Astyr in a career best performance) seems at least in part responsible for the deterioration of his perfect, successful life. His wife's sexy young sister (the radiant Kelly Nichols) is kidnapped, subsequently raped, or is she ? The last tableau at the old building is a necrophilia number, the ultimate fusion of love and death, Eros and Thanatos. There are no answers, easy or otherwise...If this summary comes across as disjointed, then this is both because I don't want to give too much away and because that is actually pretty much how the film progresses. Think David Lynch in LOST HIGHWAY mode. Though Watkins has since established a link between Wagner's RHEINGOLD and this movie, this still leaves the field for interpretation wide open. Unique for an adult film, this is the kind of cinematic experience that would require a blowtorch to be erased from the mind's eye. Every single indelible image is perfectly composed. Music is employed hauntingly. This is the Underworld, where even sex offers no refuge. Enter at your own peril...