Lustful Addiction

... to anyone's viewed video library (actual, or simply experienced). Not because of the subject matter, or the terribly unconvincing simulated sex (which is one of the only reasons anyone might be interested in this straight to video mess), or even the terrible acting. The real reason you'll experience that feeling of disgust will surely be if you attempt to sit through the entirety of it. Watching this rather sad example of how to waste an opportunity will be a greater test of the will than a junkie's first time going cold turkey.

Unlike many drug films that escalate to the point of feeling like a wild roller coaster ride into oblivion, this one moves with the agility of a snail carrying a load of bricks on its back.

It starts out well enough, for an obviously "bottom basement," financed straight to "D" grade video, that it is. The initial plot device is established, some sex is simulated (not very convincingly though) and the main character shows off her attractive enough body, fully. However everything up until the next "physical encounter" can be likened to a painful and tediously agonizing torture.

The end is predictable, the sex is painfully boring (the beginning is as good as it gets, no matter what you think will happen, or what actually does later) and excruciating long in coming and even when it does get around to what can be one of the only points of this film, its ridiculously uneventful.

Think of the scene where they detoxed Bela Lugosi, in the film Ed Wood and know that that will probably be what is playing in your head as you try to sit through this video. If this film was a drug it would be about as effective as talcum powder. Though at least with THAT, you might get a kick out of it.

Lustful Addiction (2003)

** (out of 4)

Remake of Nick Phillips' 1969 film, although you wouldn't know it as his name is not mentioned anywhere in the credits as Mundae gets credit for writing and coming up with the idea. This remake is the same as the original as a drugged up hooker (Ruby LaRocca) will do anything to get her fix and that includes screwing her dealer. She eventually meets up with a free spirited young lady (Misty Mundae) and the two hit it off but the drugs might come back to hurt them. Whereas the original film tried to be both erotic and tell a serious story, this one here pretty much goes for the erotic nature and that includes the meeting between LaRocca and Mundae, which lasts over thirty-minutes of the seventy-three-minute running time. This entire sequence shows the two women taking drugs and having sex and I must admit that Mundae handles the sequence very well. The erotic scenes are highly erotic and the drug natured fit the two are on comes off quite well. The film really doesn't try to tell any story and instead just wants to be sexy and as an erotic film it works. The performances are range from decent to poor and as in the original film this one here doesn't have any spoken dialogue but instead just narration. LaRocca doesn't look at good as the woman in the original but that somewhat helps the film as her physical look matches what you'd expect someone like this would look like. This film certainly isn't going to appeal to everyone and I'm certainly not an expert on these recent softcore films but I felt this one did the job it set out to do.