Shaman, The Review

Reviewed by TouchDown Tony  on  3/9/2002

Featuring: Carlos Casino, Vince Bandero, Max Grand, Mike Cesar, J.V., Danny Pacheco, Harley, D'Angelo and Valentino Rey as "the shaman."
Written Produced and directed by Adair & Dubois

With a title such as this, the viewer can most assuredly expect to find the film to be an exercise in esoterica, with a dash of erotica thrown in for good measure. As it stands, The Shaman is not always successful in its attempts of blending the two forms of visceral thrills. Much to my surprise, The Shaman feels more like a late 1970's entry into the realm of adult film making. Elements from such noted films as L.A. Plays Itself and Joe Gage’s trucker trilogy (L.A. Tool and Die, Kansas City Trucking Co., El Paso Wrecking Corp.) abound; in a roundabout way, The Shaman is a virtual homage to the former. The Shaman is, like L.A. Plays Itself, a dreamscape of a film. The sexual encounters in The Shaman are more often than not, the fantasies or dreams of its nominal hero, the beautifully endowed, but badly dyed, Carlos Casino. It is through Carlos’ eyes -and senses- that The Shaman takes flight.

The Shaman is almost too experimental to be taken as seriously as it takes itself. It is a very New Age film, right down to its cascading crystalline score. The Shaman sets itself up for a quick downfall, a nadir which it never quite reaches, thankfully. There are actually some fine things to be found in The Shaman, one of which is newcomer Carlos Casino, who in spite of his bad hair job, is one incredibly sexy young man; with the emphasis on young. To open the film, Carlos stumbles upon a desert shack where he finds a loin-clothed and feathered holy man who has predicted Carlos’ arrival. Valentino Rey is a stunning specimen of manhood, and looks at home in his outrageous costume.

The sexual scenes which follow are, according to Valentino Rey as the titular character, a series of sexual treks which Carlos must go through in order to find himself. A dream-state Carlos watches as Vince Bandero and Mike Cesar go through some heavy petting on a leather sofa; a bathing Carlos is interrupted by the presence of Max Grand who he fucks striding the Victorian bathtub; a smoking Carlos engages in a three-way at an abandoned shack; a curious Carlos sees the hairy-assed D’Angelo jack-off in a stunningly lit solo; a desert bound Carlos watches two hot tricks ( Xavier and J.V. )suck and fuck in the moonlight. Carlos awakens in the desert and finds his destiny.
With all that sex going on, it’s a wonder that I didn’t find The Shaman to be a lot less than the sum of its parts. The guys are all pretty darned hot; but the sex itself is rather by the numbers. There’s really nothing new under the sun, except for the meticulous plotting device. Fans of hot, uncut Latino men might find more erotica in The Shaman, personally I found it to be far more esoteric, and only the presence of Max Grand provided any erotic stimulation.

What I really DID like was the accompanying “Making of The Shaman” special feature documentary. A lengthy document, this feature follows the cast and crew through the rigorous shooting schedule, and includes a hot, sex scene with the original star of The Shaman, who was replaced by Carlos Casino. The exclusive documentary goes way behind the scenes, and is a welcome addition to the disc. Trailers for several L.A. Brown productions, mostly amateur, as well as IMD titles (Restless, Love for Sale, Back in the Saddle) are short, but intriguing.

This disc is a fine addition to anyone’s library, especially for those interested in a change of pace from the normal suck and fuck features out there. The Shaman is beautifully photographed, with hot close-ups of the action, a fine Philip Glass-derived score, and acres of uncut men on display.