Movie Talk: Asylum (2008)

"Give me my medicine!"

I was going to try and tackle the Wrong Side of the Tracks movies for this post, but with the first movie clocking in at almost 3 hours, I realized I didn't have the time to give those movies the attention that they needed. So I searched for something a little more manageable. Asylum, being a more typical gay porn feature, was only 90 minutes. Perfect!

Produced by Falcon Studios, and directed by John Bruno, I went into Asylum knowing next to nothing about this one. The general concept sounded interesting, with a reporter trying to expose an evil asylum performing sexual experiments on its male patients. It had the potential for the kind of campy storytelling that only porn seems to get so right. The guys looked hot enough, although I wasn't familiar with any of them. They are pretty typical Falcon guys from the early to mid 2000's, macho and muscular. It looked to at least be entertaining if not hot.

With having no idea what to expect with Asylum I went in with a few ideas of what I was about to watch. I was expecting something well produced with either a loose narrative to string the scenes together, or no narrative at all. While Falcon can do some solid features, this struck me as one of their lower budget affairs, so I wasn't expecting much as far as the film elements go. I was expecting it to work well as a porno, though. 

Now that I have watched it, I am going to say that I had this one spot on. There is very little plot connecting the four sex scenes, but what little plot there is brings that camp 100%. The opening of Erik Rhodes being pulled out of a morgue body cooler, to Diesel Washington walking down the hall with a sack of dildos slung over his shoulder, this movie is a riot as far as the brief, non-sex material goes. I will say this. There is a reason this movie is light on the dialogue, because some of these guys... silent and sexy works best for them. Still, for something that really isn't focused on story, it gets tone down really well.

Does this work as a movie? Oh, hell no. There is actually a plot, which shocked the hell out of me, honestly. That plot really is just a slight framework to hang the sex scenes on, though. Having said that, there is not a thing wrong with that, at all. Honestly, something like this would have been really harmed by too much dialogue or exposition. They kept it simple, and that was the best call. Erik Rhodes sneaks into the asylum, we see some of the sexual experiments that are going on, and then... well, don't want to spoil the ending for you. The way it is shot, edited and scored works to give the movie plenty of atmosphere, but it doesn't lose sight of what it needs to do. 

That brings us to our next question. 

Does this work as a porno? Yes, it does. The sex scenes are good overall, though. The guys all seem in to each other, which isn't always the case with these movies. Even if that is just a matter of good direction and editing, everyone seems to be all in. No matter how silly some of the situations get. And they do get silly. Like someone trying to perform oral sex while forgetting to take off their surgical mask. Also, the sack of dildos... A sack of dildos will always be funny, no matter how hard you try to make it sexy, or menacing. The problem I usually run into with movies that are going for that nasty, grimy feel like this is if they push too far it can turn comical. This movie for sure goes over that line a few times.

This is not one for people who want something soft or romantic. These guys are not kissing or cuddling. The general vibe over all leans into a kind of Dom/Sub relationship between the staff of the asylum and the patients, with only the opening scene being a little more straight forward sex. Nothing is particularly rough, mind you, but the tone is not romantic. These are hot guys who are there to get off. Nothing more, nothing less. 

This movie is doing exactly what it needs to do. It was probably a mid-to-low budget production for the studio, but it doesn't show. It was well filmed, the sex scenes have good coverage, and what little non-sex material there is does help create a general mood. While there isn't much, there is a general narrative through line that connects all the scenes, which is more than you could expect from a lot of porn.

Director John Bruno is new to me, but from a quick glance at his filmography he has plenty of experience behind the camera filming flicks like this, and he knows what he is doing. I mean, this one is purely a recommendation if slightly sleazy and butch is your thing. As for me, it managed to bring the camp well enough, and I for sure appreciated the sexual aspects of the film, even if I prefer my porn a little on the softer side. I mean, I had fun with Asylum, and for how cheap you can grab it only, I felt like I for sure got my money's worth.