From 1988 through 1994, John Leslie directed some truly great Adult movies, culminating in his all-time classic "The Dog Walker". Then, with only a couple of exceptions ("Briana Love" and "Bad Habits"), he turned his back on storytelling and instead shot well over a hundred mindless gonzo videos of zero merit. "Strange Curves" is a fine example of his quality approach to making real movies that are not mere collections of explicit sex footage.
Twice, the characters mention Hitchcock's Patricia Highsmith classic "Strangers on a Train", and Leslie's screenplay, co-written by Nick Hunter, skillfully takes off on that original with very fine twists of its own. What makes it work is that, unlike so many porn movies, the characters' actions are quite believable, and the situations, however contrivded, are convincing.
Scott Irish is cast in the Robert Walker role, planning the perfect murder to get rid of his beautiful sister played by April West, using the famous gimmick of "trading murders" with unsuspecting dupe Joey Silvera, who is stuck with beautiful but mean wife Victoria Paris who refuses to give him a divorce and makes his life miserable. Irish, cast against type as a cool yet psychotic villain, gives a terrific performance, while Silvera is extremely sympathetic and easy for the viewer to identify with, quite a switch from his usual over-the-top acting.
Leslie's tight direction does not have any filler, with the sex scenes kept concise, unlike subsequent story-porn where 30-minute "pauses" for XXX action always ruin the pacing and make the story content seem extraneous. Final reel twists are superb and unexpected.
Victoria Paris is fine in a heavy role (also heavy on the sex), eclipsed by a fabulous career-peak performance by April West as Irish's sister.
