Once of the wealth of fascinations that makes up the sublime "Moscow: The Power of Submission" is the dichotomy of work and setting. The video takes place in the cold bleak tundra of a snowy Moscow winter, cold and foreboding. But, the action in the video is insanely warm. I don't say hot, because to me hot too often denotes an intra-model fire only. However, the chemistry among the various mythically beautiful boys in The Bear's video comes across to the viewer so strongly that it's akin to a roaring fire, a comfortable sweater or the hug of a lover, rather than something intangible and solely pornographic. It feels so right, so perfect, so fitting. To sustain this effect for nearly three hours is a chore of unbelievable heft, but The Bear, his crew and his models pull it off with such power and focus that it deserves its place at the apex of this year's best videos.

The story takes place in the sly Communism of 1986 Moscow. The first image, after snow capping the familiar sights of the city, is Corporal Slava Petrovich being kidnapped by two men in black. With eerie music setting the tone, they take him to a dark room in KGB Headquarters to question him later in the nude. To describe Slava fully to you would be detrimental for two reasons. The first is that I'd run out of space and the second is that it would be so minutely detailed that you wouldn't need to take your own look at him. He's the centerpiece of this video, and I would venture to say one of the most utterly handsome men to ever grace a porn tape. He has dark longish hair that comes down right to his downward sloping doleful eyes, which give him an acting edge over everyone here, big bitable lips and then a body that is torturously sensational. Big large pecs with just a little hair, button-sized nipples, abs that speak of hundreds of thousands of lifetime crunches, thighs crafted rather than toned. His dick sticks out straight from his body, a very dark head giving way to a hooded lighter dick and the biggest balls you've ever seen. They get a lot of attention here, and rightfully so. Do you see what I mean? Look how much space that took! Anyway, Slava is stripped and questioned and photographed. He is then probed. The nefarious agent takes the instrument and forces the foreskin wide apart, which elicits a wonderfully captured mixture of pleasure and humiliation from Slava's telling face. He is then turned around so the gloved intruder can use the probe and a finger on his muscular ass. But, just as the probing comes to full effect, Slava is taken and thrown into a jail cell.

We find that Slava is an informer. As he lies in his cell afraid (which you can see on his face), he thinks about an episode that involved taking notes on four soldiers. The guys meet in the park and share vodka before returning to an opulent home where they play cards, as Slava watches outside the door. The four guys are marquee costar Alexander Byazrov, a hulking youth with a little nose and blondish hair, not to mention a body up there with Slava's, tussle-haired Yegor Seleznyov, hairy dark Vanya Viktorovich and balding round-faced Nestor Firsov. This scene is broken up into two parts and takes up virtually all of the first of the two tapes. Alexander challenges the other to a card draw where the loser has to blow the others, a pleasure considering their four huge dicks are already out and ready for that task. Nestor and Alexander receive the blowjobs -- Alexander's cock a luscious piece that is too thick near the base to actually suck. Yegor is paired with Alexander, as he will be throughout ninety percent of the scene, and Vanya services Nestor. Initially, Yegor is the more sprightly blower, though Vanya catches up in kind, big of tongue to equal Yegor's wet mouth. Alexander starts a gentle thrusting motion he will continue throughout both of his scenes, a hip movement that seems less rehearsed than proof of his sexual zoning. There are so many cumshots in this scene, as one after another, these guys position their dicks in front of the camera, with no hands, and blast loads. Every one is a juicy winner. After the two getting blown achieve this, they switch places and Alexander and Nestor take over sucking. These blowjobs are just as sexily watchable, and Vanya has the biggest shot of the quartet. Then, they stay in their pairs for some rimming, with everyone both alternating eating with getting eaten, but in the most curious position: sitting in chairs with the rimmers arching up to get to them. The tongues go squarely into the usually hairy asses, and of course they all cum again, as if they hadn't just minutes ago! Vanya ups his ante from before with his second blast. This scene is so huge in terms of movement and power, not to mention length, that it's a good idea it gets cut in half by a short scene. Slava is woken out of this memory by captor Boris Vladimirovich, a moderately good looking guy with the next piece of slurpy cock meat. He beckons to a sumptuously lit Slava (he's treated better in terms of physical production than probably the director's boyfriend!) who crawls over to the jail door to timidly suck on Boris. He starts slowly to prove just how tentative he is, but eventually he opens wide and becomes almost a deep-throater, knowing his way around porn well enough to keep his body to the camera and his free arms behind his back. Slava causes himself handless drippage and then induces the same from Boris, right onto Slava's heaven-sent chest. Boris then fits this medieval chastity contraption onto Slava's dick to make him "full of cum" for the General behind his arrest.

Slava drifts back to sleep and remembers the rest of the foursome. Still looking inside and handling his own dick, he sees Alexander fucking Yegor and Vanya taking on Nestor, in front of the glowing fireplace and full of kisses and touches for each other. Alexander's entrance into Yegor is incredible, totally handless, speaking of the power of both top and bottom there. Alexander fucks in the difficult sideways position, which turns out here to be full of pep. Vanya is given the easier topping position of doggy-style, so his fuck generates more power than the sensual one coming from Alexander.

The camera shots are cleverly varied, spending lots of time underneath, but lovingly edited in such a way that it never seems frenetic or disassociating. Alexander and Yegor cum, though Nestor has the best of this round with a uniquely captured one from underneath, making it seem like it came out at 100 miles an hour. Alexander, clearly the star here, then gets pounded by a too-nice Yegor as Nestor and Vanya stand over him kissing, feeding their cocks to him whenever he doesn't feel he needs a breath. Once Alexander is opened up fully, Yegor develops a little power and slaps into him with just a tad of nastiness, and with his entire cock now. Nestor then takes over, starting off unbelievably at the same speed and thrust of the former top. Alexander sucks Vanya and Yegor, at one point taking them both in his tireless mouth at once, and then there is another set of cumshots! Nestor wins with one parked right on Alexander's cock, though Vanya has a far-reaching stunner before the vigilant Slava finishes outside the door. This scene runs a very long time, but there is not even the hint of a moment when you feel the need to reach for the fast-forward button. Every second contains something new, not to be missed.

General Pyotr Chernov, a brunet with a noticeable beauty mark on his chin and still another stumpy cock and rock-solid body, sends Boris to fetch Slava. Well, as the music changes to something from a mock horror movie, we find that Pyotr has a thing for Slava, jacking off to pictures of him, cumming just as Boris and Slava enter the room. Pyotr is still very hard, so he has Boris place Slava on the table and they both have their way with him for the rest of the tape. Boris, finally unclothed to reveal a compact thick body, is told to eat Slava's ass, with a huge tongue motion that he uses happily as his own curving cock gets harder. Pyotr, now exposing a hot pec tattoo, then forces Boris to fuck Slava, our sad-faced star looking so glamorously upset by all of this. Once Boris is comfortably positioned in Slava's ass, Pyotr tries to make Slava blow him. But, Slava resists, and turns this part of the scene into an adorable cock-slap-tease combo. Boris gives Slava a chance to open up for him, and then ramps up the action into some genuine harshness, adopting this most interesting system of alternating power thrusting. Boris makes the mistake of removing Slava's cock contraption because once that dick grows to its full epic size, the other two, not small themselves, might just have fallen from the scene. I don't say that maliciously. Just watch the long shots of Boris fucking, Slava's hard dick and Pyotr getting blown and see where your eye travels. There is a round of cumming with Pyotr landing one of Slava's already perfect face. But, it's not over. Pyotr takes Boris and Slava over to a fireplace and a mock bear rug and makes them kiss on all-fours. He then gets on his knees and starts licking at their asses. All you can see from the initial camera shot are three spectacular asses staring back at you. Pyotr does a fine rimming job with both inspirational butts (take note of Boris' twitching opening), flexing his own hole for extra measure. Pyotr manages to lick a load right out of Slava onto the rug, and then gets a literal matching one from Boris before turning in the triplet himself. You can take a breath now, but Slava can't. Slava is forced to blow Boris, with more of that cute resistance, and Pyotr slithers behind for his chance to fuck. Pyotr is flawless, fucking with his waist and oozing pleasure from the rest of him. Slava eventually has a load that seems to last minutes on its own, which makes Pyotr fuck even harder until releasing a rivulet of his own down Slava's ass. Boris manages an even greater one, traveling all the way over Slava almost to Pyotr.

After this, Slava is dressed and dumped onto a snowy road, thrown an address by his captors. As Slava continues his expedition, the viewer gets a break to go pop the next video in the VCR. Hurry up, as much of the best is yet to come.

The second part starts with soldier Dima Chichay, a tall Eurasian-seeming youth, is propositioned by wealthy small-faced Kirill Veronkov, who would be the stunner of the video if not for Slava. Dima will only get the promised money if he agrees to be blindfolded for the rest of the car trip, which includes picking up boyish bushy-browed Anton Sekhin as well. The three arrive at a palatial but scary manse where Kirill starts the action on the staircase by blowing both of his young recruits. The dicks in this scene are perhaps not the biggest in the video, but probably the thickest, particularly Kirill's. Kirill is a wonderful blower, licking and sucking, as well as attending to the balls and foreskin most eagerly. The two soldiers writhe in delight as he does a most sensual job on them. Then Kirill wants some back, so Anton gets on his knees to continue the satisfying set of oral welcomings.

Kirill acts his part as the dominant fetisher by forcing Anton rather meanly between the two dicks. The alternation is perfectly paced and of course all three take a second to cum for the camera. They retire to a leather-lined bedroom where Dima is exposed to own a very nice thinnish body and great buns. He is bent over by Anton, still blindfolded of course, and rimmed. Then, Kirill really lights up the scene by having Dima take off his boots so he can rub all over Dima's body with his foot. Dima goes nuts every time the toes come near his mouth, trying his hardest to suck them, but Kirill is a giant tease. And naturally, as Anton eats him gingerly in the back, Kirill makes Dima cum with only the maneuverings of his foot. Hairy-chested Krill takes over the butt munch, and watch his body move as he does it. With every lick, you see his stomach contract, his cock twitch and his back muscles heave. That's effort! Krill's rim is the finest on record here, diving his tongue into the hairless waiting ass with a potency that will hopefully speak of topping to come. He of course cums a spew right onto Dima's leg from excitement. Lapping it up for tongue lubricant, he rims a little more and fingers his handsome soldier. Meanwhile, Anton is up front having Dima blow him, but the rimming is the concentration for now. Kirill fucks Dima with tight little spasms, his own hairy ass looking almost as good as the one he is plugging. His dick is so thick that the camera HAS to go in for full in-and-out shots so we can see the widening and contracting of the hole. After all of this, Dima finally gets the blindfold taken off, lets off a huge smile, and sucks the hell out of Anton with renewed vigor. Kirill earns tons of extra points by going to the upper levels of sensuality by licking Dima's back as he fucks him, leaving the two younger guys to have more brutish relations. Mirrored images let us see all of the players at once, especially Anton staring intently at Kirill the whole time, obviously turned on by everything the older gent is doing. After Dima and Kirill coat the camera lens in copious semen, Kirill takes his position of power to get rimmed by Dima and blown by Anton. With both the hole and Dima's cock quivering in unison, Dima enters into Kirill and the ensuing fuck is shot so closely you feel like it's you. Shot from every conceivable angle, Dima and Anton eventually enter into an unspoken rhythm where Dima thrusts into Kirill, which causes him to force his cock further down Anton's throat. Dima turns in a dazzling fuck, using so many muscles on his body, and the chemistry between the three never takes a break. Anton gets some time in Kirill's ass with a smooth rather tame fuck, but that's probably because Dima has made Kirill so openly ready for everyone else. Kirill and Dima shoot two of their best at the end of the scene. Like the first scene, this multi-partnered scene takes its time in exposing the talents of its participants, and like the first scene, it has a hallmark of creativity forged into every passing minute of the scene. However, the noticeable chemistry among the three guys is this scene's driving force, and Kirill is truly a commanding spirit in making that possible.

Slava ends up going to the address given to him, that of Private Alexander Byazrov, making a welcome return to the video. Slava comes in for a drink, but instead puts it down and takes in Alexander instead. They remove their clothing and kiss, the pairing a true thing of beauty. Slava looks as if he's about to cry from happiness. Before we continue, it's about here I remembered this was the first simple two-way in this story. Realizing that means we have been set up for what has to be the video's best scene (and is) -- I sat back eagerly to watch the sparks fly. It wasn't meant to disappear into the mountain of sex already created for us The Bear is about to deliver one more time. Back in the scene itself, Alexander licks down Slava's chest in close-up, exposing Slava once again to be of the most humanistic perfection ever to wear skin. Of course he finds his way down to the cock, with his individualistic head-bobbing grinding motion back in full force. I should point out also that none of the guys in this video give a blowjob like the best Americans you know, but they do it with so much desire and so much personal panache that the blowjob on screen at any given moment seems like the best one you've ever seen. They rub their cocks together over moody romantic music and then Slava goes down on Alexander, his puppy-dog eyes telling more story than his hardworking mouth. Alexander returns to sucking in time for Slava to blast a shot past his face and then they switch places to Alexander can release for the first of many times. Okay, perhaps I said above that I preferred "warmth" to "heat" in description of this video as a whole, but I'll submit that scene is just damn hot. I almost felt as if I were intruding on a very personal moment between these guys.

Alexander adorably puts Slava's hat on his head as they move to the bed, but it falls off and Alexander sees his address in it. Slava has to confess that he was an informer, but convinces Alexander he's not now (pulling together the entire video in a few well-chosen lines), and when Alexander tries to force him to leave, Slava overcomes him with passionate kissing. That gives way to an apologetic blowjob, with handsome Slava putting Alexander over the moon touching just the head of his cock. Alexander is overwhelmed and this turns into the video's only 69, yet another late-in-the-game surprise from the director. Finally, Alexander pays attention Slava's balls, a focus of the camera for a while, but never touched by anyone yet. They remain huge and Alexander treats them just right. The combination of this and some rimming is adored by Slava, and the two of them roll over so Alexander can put the same focus into sucking Slava's dick. This blowjob is mindfully simple compared to the friskiness of the one he gave before, letting the camera concentrate not on his mouth, but on the very hard very red dick inside it. Another fantastic white load is the result. Slava then rims Alexander some, but turns into quite a wild man when he fingers him, slapping Alexander's cheeks into their own redness as part of that package. All Slava really needs to do is lick Alexander's leg to get him to dot the bedspread with his return volley cum-shot. The room has an entire mirrored wall in it, and for the latter pat of the scene, it is used to perfect effect by the director and videographer, Nicolai Pyrov. Alexander is obviously instructed not to take his eyes off Slava the entire time, through the mirror, and the camera is constantly positioned so you see their faces merging in it, with the anal action taking place closer to the camera. Slava quietly impresses Alexander with a smooth furiously butt-clenched fuck. Now, here's another piece of newness. Slava has been all over this video for almost its entire run, but he hasn't fucked yet. Another wise move. He gives Alexander a powerful fuck, but it retains the sensuality of the scene, rather than descending into something harsher just for the sake of it. Just when things really get going, Slava pulls out, laying down on the bed so Alexander can fuck him. Slava's reaction is dead-on, with some nervous gasps for breath as Alexander starts slowly, finally rolling his big brown eyes way back into his head. Alexander achieves a nice amount of bounce in this too-rarely used position, and can't stop himself from quickly cumming into his condom. He rubs the used rubber all over Slava's back, staring at himself sexily in the mirror. You knew this wouldn't be the end of the action, and next Slava pokes Alexander in a sideways position, one in which Alexander excelled as a top previously. They kiss as Alexander takes him with wondrous ease. This part fully establishes this scene as an "in love" episode more than any other part of it. Both guys cum slow moving creamers, but it's not the end yet -- Alexander has only gotten to fuck once in the scene, so he goes back, and he uses a lot more power now that he has Slava totally enraptured. If you want a good still shot, wait until near the end here where Alexander's lip-smacking ass is shown beating into Slava. You won't know which end is up. There are some final cumshots and then it's over as the two kiss. Exquisitely presented, this final scene dispenses with a lot of the flash previously used in order to present a straightforward lovemaking session. Its placement right at the end is a quietly effective climax to an endless round-robin of peaking multiple partnerships.

Kristen Bjorn's Sarava Productions is responsible for this phenomenal effort, and his longtime associate The Bear has obviously learned well from the master. This tape has the same kind of hypnotic energy to it that has been used around the world by Bjorn himself. I would love to know the audition process for models here, because truly the best Moscow must have to offer have been included. There are only ten guys used here, but they are so well used that they seem to multiply every time you turn around. But, their clear leader is Slava Petrovich, who gives a marathon performance worthy of every frame he inhabits. I'm not sure he intended to give such a fine acting performance, but he very nearly matches his sexual energy with a clear understanding of his place here as the star. Gorgeously shot, gorgeously scored, gorgeously edited, "Moscow: The Power of Seduction" proves its title on the viewer. You will be roped in from the moment you see Slava taken by his abductors and you won't let yourself be released until he has provided his final and umpteenth cum-shot.

Rating: ***HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***

-Brent Blue, ManNet.com

The first major adult film to be shot on location in Russia, Moscow: The Power of Submission, is yet another reason Americans should be thankful for détente. Produced by Kristen Bjorn's Sarava Productions and directed by his longtime assistant, billed simply as The Bear, this is a landmark film that breaks many of the traditions of gay erotica, introduces a breathtaking cast of 10 remarkable sexualists and definitively places The Bear - on his first time out - in the pantheon of great directors of the genre.

Set in Moscow in 1986, the film tells the story of a naïve Soviet corporal (Slava Petrovich) who has been ordered to spy on another soldier (Alexander Byazrov). He follows Byazrov and his buddies around the Russian capital and observes them having group sex, but he cannot bring himself to inform on the handsome soldier. As a result, he is imprisoned and brought before a KGB general, but when he refuses to talk, he is forced into sexual servitude. In time he makes his way to an address his jailer has slipped him. It is the handsome soldier's apartment, and they soon become lovers in one of the most dazzling duets ever put to film. It should be a shoo-in for best sex scene of the year.

The director is greatly aided and abetted by his star, Petrovich, a tall, well-defined brunet with a protean countenance, haunting eyes, an oversized erection, pendulous balls and a beefy butt. He does not have one dishonest moment in the film. Whether he is discovering his fascination with man sex, subjecting himself to anal penetration for the first time, exploring the delights of sucking cock or floating in the ecstasy of sexual versatility and emotional involvement, he is relentlessly watchable. And as an actor, he is every bit as good. Although the viewer who does not speak Russian may not understand the words he says, what he is thinking and feeling is always crystal clear. A major acting award has never been given for a foreign-language performance, and his bravura star turn, both sexually and nonsexually, deserves to remedy that.

Perhaps the most triumphant thing about Moscow, however, is that it is a double-cassette epic running nearly three hours, yet it is comprised of only four major sex scenes. (There are two other brief snippets of sex, but to all intents and purposes, they do not count as full-fledged sequences.) Because of the director's perpetually inventive sexual imagination, not one of them becomes boring or overstays its welcome.

The first takes place in a Soviet apartment house - inside a colorful living room and outside in the hall where Petrovich watches through a crack in the door. Inside, the soldier (Byazrov) and his buddies (baby-faced innocent Yegor Seleznyov, swarthy brunet Vanya Viktorovich and dirty-blond peasant Nestor Firsov) strip down to their long-johns (all with erections pointing heavenward) and begin to play cards. That game is promptly forgotten, and each has soon had a mouthful of the others, both fore and aft. (The rimming, captured in tight close-up, is among the best we've ever seen on film.)

Byazrov, a glamorous, animated, green-eyed blond, drives the scene, but all four evince an emotional involvement that goes beyond the skilled mechanics of other Eastern Europeans. And the anal action (all but Viktorovich are versatile) is equally as passionate. Even the kissing is as romantic as it is lusty - there's more than just tongue dueling here. The scene is capped with Byazrov bottoming for the others and ending up frosted with spooge as Petrovich (still in the hall) blows his first man-inspired load by hand. There are 15 money shots before the scene ends, and one longs for more.

After a brief set-to between Petrovich and his jailer (Boris Vladimirovich), who teaches him to suck cock, the young corporal is trussed into a strange device, sort of a chastity cage for his cock. He is then taken to the general (Pyotr Chernov), who has been jerking off over photos of him. The ensuing threesome is nearly as explosive as the opener. Vladimirovich warms up the prisoner, both orally and anally, and then, on a bearskin rug, the general rims, fucks and brings both off by hand as if he were milking a pair of prize dairy cows. The scene ends with Petrovich in the middle of the sandwich, but the general cannot handle his growing attachment to the young corporal and orders him taken away. This sequence includes 10 money shots.

The only place that The Bear stumbles is in the next sequence, a gratuitous scene that is clumsily woven into the tale and involves two soldiers and a wealthy business man. On its own, the scene is every bit as powerful as the others and therefore can be forgiven, but the melding of story and sex in the rest of the film is so flawless that this scene feels jarring and confusing. (One should be concentrating on the spectacular sex in it rather than trying to figure out who the hell they are and how did we get here.)

In the scene, the businessman (blond Kiril Veronkov) picks up a soldier (the chestnut-haired Dima Chichay) and blindfolds him before picking up another soldier (brunet Anton Sekhin). Their three-way on a staircase and later all over a couch is also a sizzler. Both Veronokov and Chichay top and bottom with equal zest, and if Sekhin seems peripheral, it hardly matters. The scene also includes some of the most arousing foot fetish footage imaginable. (Veronokov brings off Chichay with his toes!) Here, the fine videography (by Nicolai Pyrov) is at its best, especially in a series of undershots as Chichay repenetrates Veronkov again and again before the two deliver the most copious orgasms of the film. Thirteen money shots later, Moscow returns to its narrative line.

The final scene is absolutely masterful, both dramatically and carnally. Petrovich finds his way to Byazrov's apartment and invites himself in for a drink. Now, for the first time, he becomes the aggressor in seducing his obsession. In sharp contrast to the preceding lust scenes, this one is, from start to finish, a love scene, and what a love scene it is! The explicit interaction is vastly different from what has gone before, and the acting of the two stars so palpably real that it is almost embarrassing to watch such intimacy. Here are two adrenalized puppies in heat - they nuzzle so tenderly, kiss so ardently, take turns sucking each other so hungrily and ultimately flip-flop back and forth in a series of such loving fucks that the viewer can actually believe they will live happily ever after and that miracles do happen.

The scene is further heightened by the director's imaginative use of a floor-length mirror beside the bed, in which the two lovers watch every action as it occurs. And perhaps the most brilliant moment of all is when the camera remains on Petrovich's face reflected in the mirror as he watches himself be penetrated for the first time by Byazrov. Between them, they deliver 11 money shots in a scene that vibrates with insatiability and, at 40 unbelievably brief minutes, seems to define the expression "endless love."

The Bear has learned his craft at the side of the legendary Bjorn, and it is inevitable that (knowingly or subconsciously) he has utilized some of the master's trademarks - the no-handed money shots, the stunning tableaux, and the multiorgasmic sequences - but make no mistake, this is a new, fresh, individual voice. Moscow has been conceived and directed with surety and originality. The Bear should be very grateful to Bjorn, and we suspect that Bjorn will be very grateful to him, for Moscow stands to make a great deal of money and must not be ignored when award time comes around.

- Jerry Douglas