Review of King Cobra (2016) by William James S — 10 Sep 2017

At times overwrought and very melodramatic, this an intense exploration of the darker side of the gay porn industry (is there even a lighter side?), and tries to redeem itself with some fairly big name stars. It's sexual explicit just to a point, with bare butt shots and a lot of simulated sex scenes and kissing, but the acting is inconsistent and sometimes very over the top, especially from James Franco, who seems to be following a page out of the Nicolas Cage book of acting, and really chews up the scenery in a couple of his ranting tirades. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Garrett Clayton, who's certainly good looking enough for the role of Brent Corrigan, however he's very soft and lacks the toughness the role requires.

All that being said, it does start to draw you in about half way even though it's based on true events, although I'm sure that most people, gay or straight, wouldn't be aware of this story. Most of the direction is unfocused, but the film does look good and does shed some light on a subject matter not very often explored in conventional film.