In the Flesh

Rating:
Summary: Amiable, but Illogical
Review: In my mind, "In the Flesh" belongs to the second wave of queer cinema. The first wave were the coming out stories where the existence of gay characters and themes was to explore what it means to be gay. In the second wave, the gay characters exist not solely to be gay, but on an equal playing field where their homosexuality is simply part of who they are in the context of a larger story. In this case, the story is a murder mystery. As refreshing as it is to have a story with gay characters where the story isn't about being gay and as agreeable as the movie is on many levels, it's not a very good murder mystery.

Oliver (Dane Ritter) is a hustler in Atlanta and thankfully writer/director Ben Taylor doesn't make him into the two stereotypes you often find in movies about prostitutes--he is neither the whore with the heart of gold, nor is he a strung-out junkie hustling just to get his next fix. Philip (Ed Corbin) is a cop assigned to investigate drug dealing happening at the Blue Boy, a bar where gay hustlers meet their johns. Philip and Oliver get to talking and connect on some levels. Philip hires Oliver, they have sex, and Philip tries to make their connection more than economic. Oliver resists. When one of Oliver's regular johns is murdered, Philip intervenes in the investigation, providing Oliver with an alibi and walking away from his job. The scandal causes Oliver to lose his apartment, Philip invites him to move in, and the two become enmeshed in the murder mystery with Oliver and Philip in danger.

I'm sure I just made it sound more logical than it actually is. Unfortunately, the relationship that is supposed to drive all of the action, that between Oliver and Philip doesn't work. Part of this is writer/director Taylor's fault. (He admits that it moves too quickly and that he had to cut a scene that explained how the relationship developed. In his commentary track, he says that the cut scene is on the DVD. Unfortunately, it's not, so we'll never know if the scene would have explained everything or not.) However, actor Ed Corbin has to take some of the blame as well. He never projects any real warmth, so it's hard to believe that Philip has fallen in love with Oliver. Dane Ritter's performance is stronger than Corbin's, but I don't sense any romantic or sexual heat from him either. Because of this, it's hard to believe that Philip would risk his career to help Oliver. If you don't believe that, then the rest of the movie becomes difficult to accept.

On top of that, there is a secret from Oliver's past that is revealed in the course of the movie that both defies logic and police procedure. I don't want to give the specifics away here, but it doesn't work for me. On one level, if you know anything about police procedure, the secret won't work for you the secret defies police procedure. ("Law & Order" and "C.S.I." fans beware! The strange thing is, Taylor says in his commentary that the scene is based on actual events--although they took place in South Africa--if I recall correctly--so that may explain the difference in crime scene investigation. Unfortunately, the movie's version doesn't, so it's hard to believe that American police investigators didn't see through this lie.) I simply don't believe the events could have happened the way they are described. And, in revealing this truth, Philip has to accept something that he as an officer of the law should not be so quick to dismiss.

If you can overlook those flaws (and I do, up to a point), this is an enjoyable enough film with a reversal at the end that I appreciated. Some of Taylor's commentary track is truly interesting, although I think he tells us much more about his personal life than he needs to.

My suggestion is that you rent the film before you invest in it. If you like this, then I highly suggest you check out "Rites of Passage." You might also like "Skin & Bone" (which I don't care for personally) and the French film "Criminal Lovers" (another that I don't care for, but at least find more interesting than "Skin & Bone").

(...)2001 Joe Edkin

Rating:
Summary: In The Flesh
Review: In The Flesh, well lets see. I would have to say that the movie was good. It was made in 1999 in the streets of Atlanta. The movie was made on a low budget, but the charters Oliver Beck, real name Dane Ritter age 21 was the main part of the film. good looking, clean cut and a product of an upper class family. This movie shows forshadowing of what happened in his life and what became of it. Until he meets an under cover cop that is working a local club case. Durning this time Olive runs into more trouble and ends up crossing patchs with Phillip Kirsch, Real name Ed Corbin, the cop in which helps him. For this to be a low budget movie its really shows great acting.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Attempt at a Gay "Thriller"
Review: It's obvious the producers of this film wanted to create a steamy, psychological thriller in the genre of Basic Instinct or Nine 1/2 Weeks, only with a gay theme. Instead, we got a creepy, wooden movie that makes you wish there were more talented filmakers out there willing to work on gay-themed material. Skip this one -- hopefully something better will come along.

Rating:
Summary: the music
Review: Just purchased the CD from Big Atomic with four of the songs from this movie and recommend both. This is fast becoming a must own DVD and CD introducing so much new talent. I think the introspective nature of the songwriter hits square on the same nature of the hustler. I liked it and encourage more from all!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!
Review: Never having seen many good gay-themed movies, I surprised myself by really getting into this one. The "us against them" or the "take me as I am" philosophy doesn't intrude into this movie. It is simply a story of men who are gay and who happen to get involved in a murder mystery. Is this Agatha Christie? No, not by a long shot. The murder mystery aspect may be lacking somewhat in this film, but the writing and acting are so much better than I expected. Dane Ritter, the hustler and prime murder suspect, made me feel his pain, confusion and, when servicing his clients, his boredom. Ed Corbin's acting seemed stilted but, crazy enough, I think this added to the film's quality. I mean, how natural would a DEA agent who is slowly recognizing his attraction to another man speak of his long suppressed feelings.

Not all movies are for everyone and there may be those who do not like this movie. I like movies that touch your heart and, in some way, change you for the better. This one fit the bill.

Rating:
Summary: THE GAY AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
Review: Not only is the dialog at the level of a high school creative writing class, but the acting sinks to a style of delivery normally reserved for bad porn. There are even scenes where the actors point to something we (the ignorant viewers) are supposed to know is "important." The dewy-eyed "oh-so-hurt " hustler (complete with a glycerine-induced tear running down one check) tantrums his way to happiness with his newfound cop "daddy". Anyone who says this is more than dreck, is probably hiding the fast forward time spent getting to the "oh-so-sensitive" nude scene. Watching this "epic" in its' entirety is more painful than most invasive medical procedures. We are even subjected to the obligatory scene of old "fresh young meat of the day" is replaced by new "fresh young meat of the day." This takes place in the hallowed spot (reserved for fresh young meat gyrations) in front of the juke box. So much for the wages of sin. In the old days directors had a church fall on the promiscuous evildoer during the last scene. The symbolism in "In The Flesh" is less subtle. With so many quality gay-themed movies to choose from, put this one last on the list, or better yet, rent the turkey on dollar night!

Rating:
Summary: Not Even Bad Enough To Be Funny
Review: Now and then you come across a movie that is so lame even the idea of describing it makes you feel slightly tired. And IN THE FLESH is so lame in so many different directions that trying to give it a legitimate review is major uphill work.

The story has been done a thousand times, but here it is given a gay-appeal twist. Undercover cop and closeted homosexual Philip (Ed Corbin) is working a possible drug ring operating out of a gay bar. When he meets male prostitute Oliver (Dane Ritter) it's love at first sight--but then one of Oliver's regular tricks is murdered and suspicion falls on Oliver. Philip gives him an alibi and then sets out to find the real killer.

Will Philip find the killer? Will Oliver give up hooking and finish his college degree? Will the two live happily ever after? Frankly, the thing is so badly done it's impossible to care. I really feel sorry for the cast. When they saw this movie it must have been a shock for them to discover they have no talent. But I have no sympathy for writer-director Ben Taylor. His script is amazingly awful and his idea of direction is to hold the camera on his actors just long enough for them to look stupid.

The only people who might find this movie appealing are those who have never before seen a gay-themed film of any kind. If you're one of them, trust me: there are many, many gay-themed films that are much, much better than this one. So give it a miss. IN THE FLESH is wasted time you won't ever get back.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

Rating:
Summary: Not Even Bad Enough To Be Funny
Review: Now and then you come across a movie that is so lame even the idea of describing it makes you feel slightly tired. And IN THE FLESH is so lame in so many different directions that trying to give it a legitimate review is major uphill work.

The story has been done a thousand times, but here it is given a gay-appeal twist. Undercover cop and closeted homosexual Philip (Ed Corbin) is working a possible drug ring operating out of a gay bar. When he meets male prostitute Oliver (Dane Ritter) it's love at first sight--but then one of Oliver's regular tricks is murdered and suspicion falls on Oliver. Philip gives him an alibi and then sets out to find the real killer.

Will Philip find the killer? Will Oliver give up hooking and finish his college degree? Will the two live happily ever after? Frankly, the thing is so badly done it's impossible to care. I really feel sorry for the cast. When they saw this movie it must have been a shock for them to discover they have no talent. But I have no sympathy for writer-director Ben Taylor. His script is amazingly awful and his idea of direction is to hold the camera on his actors just long enough for them to look stupid.

The only people who might find this movie appealing are those who have never before seen a gay-themed film of any kind. If you're one of them, trust me: there are many, many gay-themed films that are much, much better than this one. So give it a miss. IN THE FLESH is wasted time you won't ever get back.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

Rating:
Summary: In the Flesh
Review: The acting in this wasn't very good, the only thing really going for it is the box art. While the actors may be easy on the eyes and the story had some potential, this movie just didn't pull it together.

Rating:
Summary: EARNEST AND WELL-INTENTIONED
Review: The plot screams "exploitation!" -- a vice-squad cop falls in love with a male hustler -- but the resulting film is subdued and even thoughtful. (Perhaps too much so. There's virtually no sex in the movie even though it's a sexual attraction that first bonds the unlikely pair.) The movie, (filmed in Atlanta), has a professional look throughout and the acting is better than what you might expect with the best work coming from Dane Ritter as the bit-too-cleancut hustler. Ed Corbin can't do much with the not-always-plausible role as the cop but he has a nice set of buns.