I didn't think much of OPERATION LIGHTNING ROD the first time I saw it, but enjoyed it a lot more on a second appraisal - perhaps the benefit of low expectations.
Like a lot of gay porn, it's a simple set-up followed by reams of sex. Springboarding off the then-recent Patty Hearst case, the film chronicles the abduction of magnate Mortimer Bond's son Kid by a group of gay radicals, intent on holding him hostage to promote their cause. The film largely devolves into meaningless sex after that promising start, particularly petering out during its total shrug of a non-conclusion - guess everyone was ready to head home?
Thinking back on the film, it was this listless, tossed-off non-plotting I remembered most, and which gave me such a bad impression; however, upon revisiting, I discovered I discounted the effectiveness of its style. Operating again under his Nadir Productions banner (and once more favoring a myriad of French-language scatological puns in the credits), director Zachary Strong sells himself short: this may be plotless fluff, but it's far from the worst the genre has to offer. Indeed, the film's sex scenes, while generally not all that passionate or erotic (the third encounter, between the hostage and group leader who's decided to help him escape, is an exception), are well shot and feature good coverage, and are tied together by fluid editing that makes excellent use of a big chunk of John Cale & Terry Riley's experimental CHURCH OF ANTHRAX album and a couple Stevie Wonder barn-burners. Many of the guys featured aren't terribly attractive, but the twink playing the hostage certainly is (even if he can't act his way out of a paper bag), and the bearded revolutionary has a handsome, rugged look that grows on you. Far from a masterpiece, OPERATION LIGHTNING ROD is nevertheless far from a disaster as well. Taken on its own terms, it's proficient vintage porn, and a pleasant enough way to pass an hour.
Like a lot of gay porn, it's a simple set-up followed by reams of sex. Springboarding off the then-recent Patty Hearst case, the film chronicles the abduction of magnate Mortimer Bond's son Kid by a group of gay radicals, intent on holding him hostage to promote their cause. The film largely devolves into meaningless sex after that promising start, particularly petering out during its total shrug of a non-conclusion - guess everyone was ready to head home?
Thinking back on the film, it was this listless, tossed-off non-plotting I remembered most, and which gave me such a bad impression; however, upon revisiting, I discovered I discounted the effectiveness of its style. Operating again under his Nadir Productions banner (and once more favoring a myriad of French-language scatological puns in the credits), director Zachary Strong sells himself short: this may be plotless fluff, but it's far from the worst the genre has to offer. Indeed, the film's sex scenes, while generally not all that passionate or erotic (the third encounter, between the hostage and group leader who's decided to help him escape, is an exception), are well shot and feature good coverage, and are tied together by fluid editing that makes excellent use of a big chunk of John Cale & Terry Riley's experimental CHURCH OF ANTHRAX album and a couple Stevie Wonder barn-burners. Many of the guys featured aren't terribly attractive, but the twink playing the hostage certainly is (even if he can't act his way out of a paper bag), and the bearded revolutionary has a handsome, rugged look that grows on you. Far from a masterpiece, OPERATION LIGHTNING ROD is nevertheless far from a disaster as well. Taken on its own terms, it's proficient vintage porn, and a pleasant enough way to pass an hour.