Ass Collector, The Review

Distributor: Evil Angel Edition Details: Collector's Edition DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Feature Film, Foreign (European) Run Time: 137 minutes Rated: XXX Release Year: 2002 Director: Rocco Siffredi Written by: Rocco Siffredi (screenplay), Gabriel Zero (written by) Director of Photography: Jack Remy Cast: Kris Newz (as Chris Knight), Rocco Siffredi, Melinda Casta, Manuel Ferrara, Andre Fabris, Monica Sweet (as Monik), Szilvia (as Silvia), Barbarella, Tiffany Diamond (as Tiffany), Franco Roccaforte, Bob Terminator, Steve Holmes, Csoky Ice (as Chocky Ice), Eva Unger (as Eva), Petra Short, Mandy Bright (as Moniq), Alex Forte (as Alex), Alberto Rey, Ginger Jones (as Amber), Karl Ben (as Carlos), Carmen, Chris Mountain, Daniella Schiffer (as Dana), Diana Storm, Dorka (as Dori), Bambie Dolce (as Henrietta), Elke Nagold (as Ibolya), Szabina Black (as Jazmin), Karib, Caroline Cage (as Katalin), Katalin Király (as Katalin), Lisa Pinelli (as Lola), Lola Solana, Alissa (as Ludmilla, Mia Stone, Noemie (as Mona Green), Elinor (as Nicky), Nikita, Adrienn Gyenes (as Regina), Sheila Scott, Stella Virgin, Vanessa Desire (as Susa), Uncle George, Veronica Carso (as Veronica B.), Viki Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD/CD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 3 Discs: 2 DVD 9 (SS, DL), 1 CD Special Features: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Cast List By Scene, Production Photo Gallery, Fetish Menu, Trailers, Making of, Extra Footage, Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery, Evil Angel Filmographies, Rocco's Awards, Biography, Catalog of Rocco's Evil Angel Movies DVD-ROM Special Features: none

Synopsis:
Policeman Rocco (Rocco Siffredi) is on the trail of an unbalanced psychopath, the Ass Collector (Chris Knight), who is collecting women for a private collection. After Rocco fails to nail the Ass Collector in a giant bust, the police bring in a shrink, Long (Casta), to aid with the case.

Video/Audio:
The Ass Collector is presented in the full screen aspect ratio, 1.33:1, which appears to be the original aspect ratio for the film. If the film has been cropped for viewing by American audiences, there is no evidence of it from watching the film. Filmed on Beta cam, the look of the film varies slightly throughout the presentation with some angles being slightly lighter and crisper than others, I don't know if this was a master error, due to slightly different cameras or due to film stock but it is slightly distracting if you notice it. It doesn't ruin the viewing experience though, so it's not much to worry about. The picture presentation itself is good with a nice clear picture free from glitches, blemishes and artifacts but the color levels are slightly bright with blacks showing as a very dark grey. Overall, the picture quality is more than acceptable and offers little distractions.

As with many mainstream titles, this disc offers two basic audio selections for your viewing enjoyment, an English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround track and an English 2.0 Stereo track. If you are listening to this on real equipment, the Dolby Digital track is the way to go. The sound is full, robust and the .LFE track even gives your sub woofer a little workout. If you are going to be listening to the film on standard television speakers, you'll want to use the Stereo track, as the dialog can get lost in the down mixing of the Dolby Digital track with everything that is going on. The Stereo track does have a slight tinny sound throughout making it slightly less desirable to use. This is an excellent audio selection, especially for an adult disc. No other language tracks and no subtitle options are available.

Chapters/Time Code:
As per their usual, Evil Angel has supplied the tools for incredibly easy navigation through the disc. There are 18 chapters available from the main menu, each identified by a scene name, video clip and chapter range in the film that the chapter goes to. There are 67 chapter stops in the film itself to fully break up the scenes. Given the style of the film and the placement of the chapter stops, Evil Angel has made it very easy to find whatever portion of the film you are looking for quickly and efficiently. There is a time code for the feature film, so time searching is available.

Special Features:
Evil Angel has made a true collector's edition release for The Ass Collector that is sure to please any fan of the film. First up, there is a Linear PCM Audio CD containing the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for The Ass Collector featuring 10 tracks and a 37 minute running time. Contained on disc one, there is the Production Photo Gallery, containing 56 stills from the feature film that you flip through. There are two trailers for The Ass Collector. There is the Cast List by Scene which breaks down the participants in the various sex scenes in the film. The URL's for Rocco Siffredi and Evil Angel web sites are listed. And last on this disc, there is the fetish menu, which allows you to go to the portions of scenes containing blow jobs, hot sex, anal, rimming, cum shots and feet.

On disc two is where we get the extras that make this disc worthy of the collector's edition tag on it. The best by far being the making of feature, which with its hour and 18 minute run time, almost is a film all by itself. The well done making of feature has seven chapter stops (all also available from a mini-chapter menu available for the extra) and breaks down the various locations used in the film. There is the extra sex, a 30 minute feature with sexual footage from the film that fell on the editing room floor. There is also a mini-chapter menu for this extra with five chapters available. There is the Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery, which contains 33 photos usually containing members of the production staff that you flip through yourself. The extra from disc one with the website URL's is repeated here. There are Evil Angel filmographies for many members of the female cast. In the Rocco Siffredi section of the extras there is an extensive text biography on him, a catalog of all of the films he has made for Evil Angel, a filmography of his appearances in other Evil Angel films not made by him and last but not least a text list of the awards that he has won.

Review:
From its Hollywood style opening to its bizarre sex scenes, The Ass Collector shows that it is not going to be an adult movie for everyone. This film is unlike any adult film that I have seen before and frankly, it is a welcomed change. This film also comes the closest to breaking the mainstream/adult film barrier than any adult film that I have seen before. The film is a plot-based adult film, where the plot and sex scenes work hand-in-hand to make an excellent adult product for the more adventurous porn viewers. There are places that this works for and against the film but the end result makes a far superior final product than many of the previous attempts at such a film.

The plot itself may drive away potential viewers since it doesn't contain your normal lighthearted adult film fluff. The plot here is dark, morbid and macabre. Now that this has been stated, the plot here is rather complex, especially for an adult film and does far more than just connect the sex scenes. It tells a full story, making this film an excellent choice for viewers who like porn with a plot. The complex story and in depth non-sex portions of the film are enough to drive away viewers who hate porn with a plot.

In a first for me, the characters actually stay in character during the sex scenes, which depending on how you view the film can work for the film and against the film. The end result is there are some hot sex scenes intermingled with others that are too dark in nature to be of much use. For viewers following the plot though, the dark sex scenes help establish the characters and help toward the dislike for the evil characters. Many of the dark scenes are rougher than I like when watching a standard adult film. Here however, since they fit right in with the story, they are perfectly acceptable and actually help to raise the credibility of the film.

As you are probably starting to get the feel for the film now, it is a good time to mention that the characters themselves are well developed and are far more than just porn actors about to have sex. The character of the Ass Collector is shown as a raving lunatic in both the non-sex and the sex scenes allowing the viewer to stay in the film instead of being jolted back to the reality that this is just a porn film. Other mini-sex scenes exist only to explain characters and show the reasons for their nature and these often end up being too dark for erotic purposes.

Before you start worrying that all the scenes in the film are these dark morbid scenes that will do nothing for you erotically, don't worry. There are plenty of light erotic scenes in the film to fill the necessary erotic factor of an adult film. The light sex scenes are rather hard in nature but probably not hard enough to please the fans of really nasty sex. Something that some viewers might not like is that part of the cast is barely utilized in the sex scenes only performing a few acts before being forgotten for someone else.

The cast themselves does a great job here giving true performances and really get into character. The standout is Chris Knight, whose portrayal of the psychotic Ass Collector, is as good as any mainstream portrayed psychopath. As can be expected from an adult film, not all the casts' true calling in life is acting but those are few and far between and don't detract from the feature film.

To aid the script and cast are some excellent sets, none of which ever cried out that they were a cheap porn set. After watching the making of feature, you can get a feel for how much work went into making the sets look right and dressing them up appropriately. Many of the sets have a dark brooding feel to them, which enhance the dark mood of much of the film. This is definitely not a film that was just thrown together for quick profit.

In addition to all of the above the film sports some excellent make-up work and special effects. In addition to the standard body paint used in some scenes to give them a more surrealistic look, part of the cast has been dramatically altered to become their characters. A great case is the doctor who has aided the Ass Collector and was previously mutilated by him. Although this make-up work is not to the high standards of some Hollywood films, it is far more than I ever expected to see in an adult film. The film also sports some well done car chases and stunt work that I also never expected to find in an adult film.

Although not all the sexual acts performed in the film were to my liking, there are plenty of acts to satisfy a wide range of porn viewers. There is incredible variety to the porn scenes and many of the ones presented here are not full scenes making for a much more watch able porn film. Not every scene feels the need to include every act and many stick to only a few acts making the scenes fit in with the plot all the better. The sexual themes in the film are oral, vaginal and anal sex with feet, A2M, anal fingering, anilingus, fingering, anal beads, anal toys, toys and male masturbation. For viewers who care about such things, there were no condoms used in the film.

The Money Shot:
While The Ass Collector is not a film for everyone, Rocco Siffredi has done a great job of creating a unique adult film and Evil Angel has done a great job of creating a worthy collector's edition to showcase the film. I heartily recommend this film to viewers who like porn with a plot and don't mind dark overtones to their films. Couples audiences may want to tread lightly with this film as this may be far more than they are looking for and viewers who hate a plot might still want to give this film a try as they may find themselves pleasantly surprised. Viewers who like tame sex may want to pass on this title as the sex here is probably harder than they are looking for. If you are curious about the film I recommend a rental over a purchase, but if this film sounds right up your alley a purchase is highly recommended as this is a film that will probably end up staying in your collection.

Screenshots:

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