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Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good story, strong acting and intelligent! Recommended!,
By
This review is from: Strapped (DVD)
This work shows that there are very good films made these days - just not by major studios. The human condition - the perennial condition in it's multitudes of variations. This film is well thought out, well written, with a very strong cast (high marks to Ben Bonenfant who's in every frame)and strong production values. It's a very intriguing story, and the mystery takes you along on Adam's adventure. It will hold your attention throughout, with poignant life-points along the way, the main one just at the end. Well done. Strong cast, attractive and talented lead (with a promising future no doubt), and an intriguing ride. Recommended.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sex for sale in a very human film.,
By
This review is from: Strapped (DVD)
Unusual title and an unusual film. This stars Ben Bonenfant in the title role and for a hustler he comes across (forgive the pun) as a real 'tart with a heart'.The plot is quite simple in that a random or should I say routine 'trick' takes our eponymous hero back to his apartment for gay sex. He is a gay virgin and this hustler treats him with real humanity and care. He then finds it very hard to actually exit the building -and in his endeavours to escape finds rather more 'entrances' than is technically necessary in any film outside the porn genre. All that said it should come (there I go again) as no surprise as this apartment turns out to be the gayest apartment block on the gayest street in town- well when in Rome and all that. Even the straight guys turn out to want a bit of Ben and it is not always the same bit, which I think from a plot development point of view is necessary as seriously doing it that many times in such a short space of time would challenge even a Viagra addict to 'keep up' as it were. It is as I said a simple plot but what is strikingly brilliant is the breadth and depth of the characters that he meets and the humanity that unfolds in every story or occurrence, he is almost a social worker, that is one that charges an agreed fee before giving a full service. It is a warm, witty, charming, human and sometimes raunchy film but told and acted with real care and in many ways heart warming because of and not despite the regular sexual trysts.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (57 customer reviews) 118 of 124 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpectedly intelligent and thought provoking film.,
By Bob Lind "camelwest" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Strapped (DVD)
An ambitious young street hustler goes to a trick's apartment in a large inner-city apartment building. After they finish, he can't find his way out of the building, but soon encounters a diverse group of other residents, all of whom are also in the market for something that he can offer. He professionally and efficiently does what he does best: provide the fantasy they want, gets his money, and moves on to someone else. But his final encounter in the building is with a young man who wants something Alex has never considered he is capable of providing, at any price: affection and emotional intimacy.I "passed" on this originally, based on the trailer (which makes it look a bit sleazy), but picked it up based on a friend's recommendation. And I'm glad I did. Writer/director Joseph Graham offers a surprisingly intelligent and thought-provoking look at intimacy, via a pivotal day in the life of a young man who provides physical intimacy to strangers for a price, but has never really considered his own sexuality leading to any relationship. As the hustler, newcomer Ben Bonenfant is absolutely riveting with a natural sexiness coupled with intelligence and a significant dose of cynicism. DVD has several extras (including a seemingly unscripted, lengthy solo commentary by Bonenfant, with his thoughts on the role and the film.), not rated (but would be a solid R for lengthy scenes of simulated gay sex). Check this one out. Five stars out of five. 78 of 83 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Uncommonly honest and brilliantly executed,
By K. Blackwelder - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Strapped (DVD)
I saw strapped at Reeling, Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and it was among the best movies I've seen in the past year. The performances were uniformly solid, and Ben Bonenfant, the lead, turned in a truly spectacular performance. His timing and delivery are spot on, and his performance is uncommonly honest. The character is, by turns, cunning, seductive, cynical, vulnerable, and childlike.Strapped is a sexy film, but it portrays sex as far more than a one-dimensional hormonal impulse; sex in this movie is a commodity, a power exchange, a form of nurturing, and a human interaction of vast complexity and myriad purposes. Strapped is (and you'll understand this when you see it) simultaneously dark and heartwarming in a way that I've never seen in a film before. Surprisingly, this film reminded me of two mainstream films that I saw years ago, Jacob's Ladder and Siesta, but the ending is different and far more engaging than either of those films. If you like smart, edgy gay drama, then this is a great film for you. The artistry of this film is extraordinary; the writing is tight, the acting is excellent, and the directing is masterful. I'll be seeing this film several times. 45 of 50 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strapped for cash, redeemed by experience,
By Mark A. Knight "St. Pete Guy" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Strapped (DVD)
Writer/director Joseph Graham presents a new notch on the hustler genre belt. The hustler film probably started in 1950's Sunset BLVD, with William Holden servicing Swanson's Norma Desmond. In the early 60's Tennessee Williams had two gigolo films (Sweet Smell of Success and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone),and one featured, briefly, a male prostitute with his male client, admiring his new gift ring. Nineteen sixty nine, a good year for sex in the cinema, saw the template for the current gay hustler story, Midnight Cowboy.Since Joe Buck sauntered along the New York streets, the hustler film rivals the coming out film in Queer Cinema as subject matter. Andy Warhol's Flesh, Mala Noche,My Own Private Idaho, johns, Sex Life in L.A., Hustler White,Live for Sex Die for Love, Mysterious Skin, Sugar, Twist, Boy Culture, Men for Sale, End Game,and In the Flesh to name a few, and that's not including the foreign language imports like Our Lady of the Assassins, Clandestinos, Bulgarian Lovers, and The Blue Hour. Strapped takes this cliched character and makes him a realistic, likable creation with one objective: get paid, get out. What turns this mercenary character sympathetic is that he's literally trapped, makes the best of a bad situation, and shows empathy to all his clients. Trapped in a Kafka like maze of hallways, the unnamed boy (although he pretends to be various names)seems to be meet every personification of the gay scene: coming out, drug addiction, denial, homophobia, even love. Director Graham, with his production team and camera operator, manage to take this Twilight Zone-like tale, and make the most of a low budget. Every shot is clear and visually interesting. The repetitive nature of the story stays intriguing up to the satisfying climax. Actor Ben Bonenfant's rentboy is handsome in an average boy-next-door way, and wisely underplays his role with a cunning vulnerability. This one is worth buying. The movie too. |
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