Ah, my first experience of Zebedy Colt. An interesting fellow, gay cabaret singer (and apparently great, though I've not heard any of his music) and reputedly respected off Broadway actor who figured on getting into porn but found that the gay porn scene of the time offered little artistic outlet so got into straight roughies instead, becoming somewhat notable for his talents at playing damaged lunatic sadists. He is the main reason to watch Sex Wish, a film that otherwise isn't especially noteworthy. A simple story, Harry Reems plays a poor schlub whose fiancée gets raped and killed and seeks revenge on the advice of a friendly hooker. Various sex scenes, a couple more grim 'n grimy rapes and a nutty finale before it all wraps up. Reems does a fair job, he really isn't much of an actor and his failings show when he has to emote but he carries the film pretty well, he has a certain compelling physical presence and a rocking moustache, plus he's a solid performer in his various nookie adventures so he generally comes across OK, if forgettable. The women are generally more effective, CJ Laing bleakly convincing in her brutalised turn as his fiancée (and cutting a lovely figure with her cute bush and small but delicious breasts) Deanna Darby likable as the aforementioned friendly hooker, Toni Roam sympathetic as an unfortunate black hooker and Terri Hall in a brief role credited only as Raped Woman. Colt is by far the best performer here though as the lunatic killer, electrifying in his jabbering, childlike turn he comes across weirdly like some horror-show XXX Adam Sandler, taking the most jarring aspects of that abhorrent retard and amping up the unsettlement a hundred fold, he regrettably only gets three scenes to strut his stuff but when he does its really freaking' great. Otherwise the film is too vanilla to be that good, competently lensed and paced in such a way that it never bores, but it rarely pops. Standard hardcore action, one love scene with amusing faux romantic editing, a bit of angst and tracking on sleazy streets (accordion players are apparently a good way to find guns), it all bowls along in vacantly watchable fashion, the three bitching' nasty scenes and a reasonably tight final block keep this one worthwhile but it doesn't have much to offer if you ain't a 70's porn devotee already. Small thumbs up from me, but its probably only for completists.
