In the Flesh

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes things don¿t seem to be
Review: From the advertisement, In The Flesh really looks cute, almost sensual. But it's a big disappointment for me. It's a story about a male hustler and a cop, they fall in love, solve a case, and live happily ever after. Well, it really sounds wonderful, but with the whole script and screenplay like that, their acting wouldn't be better whatsoever. It's well-intentioned, but a big disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: watch it ,you'll know
Review: I didn't know this film is about a gay love. I just took it from my friend.It's an old dvd, no covery, no intruduce,I think this must be a good police movie, but when I watch it , I dispoint.I callmy friend, he told me just watch it, ok, I did.I went on watch it.Slowly, I find it a good film about gay love.I can't belive a gay movie can be so good. The acting of all the actors is good, in the 102 minites, we get into two mens heart.In the film, I frist to close the gays.Whatever i say, you just need to watch it, tell us your feeling.

Rating:
Summary: I am sorry but it's sooo bad
Review: I have not seen a bad movie for a long time, this is really bad. I can take film with slow pace, low budget, most of them (may be because I am very selective) turn out to be very good. But this one ... oh, may be I should quote the cop inside the film : "not my type."

Rating:
Summary: cops
Review: I liked the performances of both ritter and corbin to me it was somewhat of a mystery which i like also romantic to me would like to see more movies with these stars.

Rating:
Summary: Intregue, Murder, and Romance all In the Flesh
Review: I really enjoyed this film. The story, a sullen cop goes undercover to find who is dealing drugs at a local gay bar. He winds up falling for one of the regulars there who is a male prostitute with so many problems i could never begin to list them all here. The two wind up sleeping together and then things begin to get complicated. if your looking for a sweet love story where the prince charming comes to the rescue this is it. you never see the two characters actually have sex but as there attraction for each other grows that will be hot enough.

Rating:
Summary: Better than I thought it would be
Review: I started watching this movie with low expectations. I have seen so many gay-themed, low budget films that have been a waste of time and was worried that this would be just another one. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and that I enjoyed this film. It has kind of an overall dark flavor and, at times, the characters seem a bit unreal but overall, their performances are believable.
Oliver Beck, the main character, is the best part of the movie. I loved his relationship with his sister, tragic though it was. I also enjoyed the way he begins to let his guard down with Phillip over the course of the film.
The ending of the movie was the hardest part to watch, as it seemed the most artificial and staged.
Overall, I would "borrow" or rent this film if possible. I believe it is worth watching but not owning (even though I bought it).

Rating:
Summary: It's good----a little "typical"
Review: I'll admit something---I personally love this movie. I don't 100% know why--except that it reminds me a lot of me and someone. But depsite myown personal love of the film, the average person is really going to find it fair at best.

Too often, people grab every homosexual movie out there and think it's so awesome....sadly, I think they are just starved for homosexual media. If you are one of those people--then definatly buy it at once. If you actually enjoy movies and choose to own the ones that really have some merit--then you will probably be passing on it.

The story is so predictable. Call boy meets older police detective. One needs to learn to trust, the other trusts too much. Throw in a rather silly murder and drug plot - a little sex and you have "In the Flesh".

The acting is pretty bad. They try---but the leads are almost painful to watch sometimes. You constantly feel like you've seen this film before.

To it's credit the film is an independent--and for what they had to work with they've done an admirable job. You probably won't find yourself watching it over and over again---and if you are any type of critic you will be blasting it.

Rating:
Summary: Meager attempt, but got my attention
Review: I've read some of the not-so-positive reviews for this movie and I'll have to agree on some points...the writing is weak. But...I disagree on the actors being bad. I found them believable, both of them. I can usually tell when two actors are able to have chemistry and these two have it in spades. Sure, the lack of sexual encounter is more based on the cop's not wanting to take advantage of his somewhat 'vulnerable' lover. Young lover is taking psych in college, but it's the cop that's got the psyche down pat. When Oliver offers him sex free of charge as payment for taking him in, Phillip says, "I've had it[the sex]. It's not about that." I think it's great there's a gay film out there that shows a gay guy who's hot for another gay guy, and yet he practices restraint. It focuses on the romance of the characters rather than the plot or the sexual connotation. The cuddling in the bed is touching and when Oliver tries to sabotage the relationship, Ole' Phillip won't back down and literally slugs Oliver to get him out of the 'whorehouse'. It's not a dominant/submissive kind of coupling. It's balanced. Both have their strong and weak points.
The writing ..., it's flimsy, but I ignored the writing in favor of watching the relationship develop. Plus...I loved the music!! Somebody please tell me how to get a copy of "Had To Let You Go!" GRRRRRRRRR

Rating:
Summary: Meager attempt, but got my attention
Review: I've read some of the not-so-positive reviews for this movie and I'll have to agree on some points...the writing is weak. But...I disagree on the actors being bad. I found them believable, both of them. I can usually tell when two actors are able to have chemistry and these two have it in spades. Sure, the lack of sexual encounter is more based on the cop's not wanting to take advantage of his somewhat 'vulnerable' lover. Young lover is taking psych in college, but it's the cop that's got the psyche down pat. When Oliver offers him sex free of charge as payment for taking him in, Phillip says, "I've had it[the sex]. It's not about that." I think it's great there's a gay film out there that shows a gay guy who's hot for another gay guy, and yet he practices restraint. It focuses on the romance of the characters rather than the plot or the sexual connotation. The cuddling in the bed is touching and when Oliver tries to sabotage the relationship, Ole' Phillip won't back down and literally slugs Oliver to get him out of the 'whorehouse'. It's not a dominant/submissive kind of coupling. It's balanced. Both have their strong and weak points.
The writing ..., it's flimsy, but I ignored the writing in favor of watching the relationship develop. Plus...I loved the music!! Somebody please tell me how to get a copy of "Had To Let You Go!" GRRRRRRRRR

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