West Side

First, it is important to note that this is not your run-of-the-mill adult film. If you're looking for an ordinary skin flick, look elsewhere. This film aspires to be something greater and, believe it or not, almost succeeds. Steele and Vachs are absolutely fantastic in the lead roles. The two can act and deliver hands down the best performances I've seen in a adult film in years. The plot makes sense and makes a commentary on society. Is it a new one? No, but the very fact that it comes across so clearly and so succinctly is something that most Hollywood and even independent films don't achieve. Obviously there are drawbacks here. There are sex scenes that are necessary for the adult film that don't fit here (Midori in all her scenes, the girls upstairs at the party). Also, while the leads are fantastic, some of the supporting cast is poor at best (whoever that was who played Tony is so flat and dull it makes you wonder how he was cast in such an ambitious project). Finally, the video and sound quality is mostly acceptable, but some of the outdoor footage is too grainy and difficult to make out. All in all, it's quite ambitious with two excellent leading performances. With a few adjustments, it could well have been one of the most powerful films ever generated by the adult film industry. As it is, it's still quite good and well worth checking out.