Jeff Stryker's star is undoubtedly one of gay porn's biggest and brightest (in more ways than one). His lean, smooth muscular but not bodybuilder type physique, his trademark snarl, that Southern drawl, and of course, his other talents, distinguish him from most of the stars he has shared screen time with.

"Powertool" is a tour-de-force for the performer, and probably one of the most exhausting shoots in his career, because he appears in virtually every scene in the video. He acquits himself admirably throughout, from the first time he drops his pants and spreads his ass for jail guard Tony Bravo to the finale, where he catches his lover with another man and hits the streets, quickly hooking up with someone else.

For this, the 10th Anniversary DVD edition of the title, Catalina has juiced up the content, with a digital transfer, added cum-shots, a new score, and footage that wasn't included in the first edition, on VHS tape. For those of us who saw it then, the content is only enhanced by these changes, and for new viewers, it will help to update the video slightly. And the added bonus of this being a pre-condom era video means that all of the action is bareback.

Even the plot is not too bad -- Stryker is jailed for indecent exposure, a 30-day stint, and he quickly learns that he is a hot commodity among the other prisoners, both for his "new meat" status and his "huge meat" status. In the opening scene with Bravo, for instance, Stryker is being checked in to the facility and checked out -- thoroughly -- by Bravo, who practically salivates when he gets his first glance at Stryker's creamy, round ass and his thick, beefy cock. Though the scene is short and sweet, it foreshadows a later run-in between these two that delivers on all of the erotic promise of their first meeting.

Later, when Stryker has been checked into a cell, he witnesses a late-night tryst between ultra hung in his own right John Davenport (his debut video performance, in fact) and Michael, Gere, no slouch in the dick department himself. Gere bottoms for Davenport, who has just received a "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend. Davenport performs with a combination of fury and horniness that perfectly fits the mood, while Gere submits to his every sexual whim, and Stryker watches from across the way.

As the scene continues, Stryker rises from his cot, grabs his huge erection and sticks it through the bars of the cell, getting as close to the action as the restraint of a cage will allow. Meanwhile, Davenport pounds Gere's ass from behind, and in the end releases one of his trademark volleys of cum that arcs at least four or five feet away from his body, a hot jet of the good stuff. Stryker unloads on the jailhouse floor, still poking his dick through the cell bars.

Next, in a scene where Stryker learns the price for a pack of smokes, hunky bottom Jeff Converse gives it up for the big stick in a janitor's closet. Converse first worships Stryker's meat with his mouth, and then spreads his ass wide for Stryker to fuck it, and fuck it hard. Converse sits on Stryker's meat, his hole swallowing up all of Stryker. Through it, Stryker growls, as he does at other times in the video "Tighten up that ass!" Must have been almost impossible, seeing as how all of the guys bottoming for the stud had to focus on opening up to take it in the first place. Converse rises, squatting over Stryker, and both studs shoot, leaving a mess of cum all over Stryker's pubes and lower belly.

The de rigeur prison shower sex scene is next, one of the few in which Stryker doesn't appear. Tony Marino, Gary Owen and Tom Mitchell, who actually look more like high school seniors than hardened cons, have a hot three-way that involves an against-the-tiles fuck, and an amazingly well-shot three-way fuck scene. Major loads are blown by all three hunks, following another amazing scene of double-penetration, in which Gary Owen sits on both Marino and Mitchell's cocks.

Next up is the inevitable scene where guard Bravo returns to get his piece of the Stryker action. In a scene that is all heat, Stryker fucks Bravo after a short scene in which Bravo wiggles his tight butt for Stryker (their only foreplay). The pounding of Bravo's hot little ass is fast and furious, and the cum-shots at the end, to the rhythmic squeaking of the prison cot's rusty, squeaking springs, involve Bravo blowing his load while Stryker is still fucking him, then Stryker pulling out and losing it all over Bravo's egg-shaped balls.

Poor Jeff Stryker -- his 30 days in the hoosegow are up, but his boyfriend, Brian Estevez, just couldn't wait and has already hooked up with another stud, the bronzed hunk Danny Russo. Footage of Jeff's trip home, anticipating a no doubt carnal reunion with his boyfriend, is interspersed with the two studs cavorting in bed. Estevez and Russo fuck and suck all over the king-size bed, sweating it up and getting it cum-stained. When Stryker arrives, he witnesses the action, and wordlessly beats it out of there, leaving the two still fucking up a storm.

Outside, on the streets now, Stryker immediately hooks up with studlet Mike Henson -- but that's for the sequel, "Powertool 2" (and actually, it ended up not being Mike Henson at all, but that's another story).

DVD extras include a bonus montage footage of Stryker, at the peak of his career, in a naked workout with a punching bag, playing an a shower, hitting the beach, in his first screen test, and yes, even making his pee-hole "talk." Fair warning -- also included is a scene with Stryker fucking women, so if that sort of thing makes you squeamish, watch out. The outtakes, some from "Powertool," are hilarious. Finally, Stryker's personal take on the Tom Cruise "Risky Business" underwear dance (complete with cum-shot) rounds out the montage. Extras also include a photo gallery and trailers from other Catalina productions.

A DVD Review by Martin Cox

Has it been 10 years already? When I found a copy of Powertool in my mailbox, I thought "Great! They must have somehow known that I am wearing out my current copy." Upon examining the materials a little closer, it turns out that Catalina has re-edited one of the best videos of all time, and added new, never-before-seen footage. I'm there. For those who have only heard of Powertool, this is a great chance to get acquainted with the flick that made Jeff Stryker a video superstar. But be forewarned that it was made toward the end of the pre-condom era. It is not for those who have a problem with classic bareback movies. For us "old timers," this special edition gives us a chance to relive the excitement of seeing some of the best man sex ever filmed.

The story opens in a courtroom, where an authentic looking judge sentences Stryker to 30 days in county jail (for an unspecified offense). A guard seems to like his job too much, as he takes the new prisoner through a revealing strip search. The underpopulated jail seems pretty deserted, but the silence is broken by the guys in a cell across the hall from Stryker.

As he lies on the upper bunk, a female voice reads a "Dear John" letter to blond jock John Davenport. It gets his blood boiling. Fortunately, he has a gay cell mate who is ready and willing to service him on demand. We get great views as he gobbles on Davenport's huge cock. Across the way, Stryker gets an eyeful and begins to stroke his own monster cock. Davenport delivers hot, face-fucking action. His roommie pops a boner and cums while giving head. In between his non-stop macho banter, Davenport shoots a skyrocketing wad.

The dirty talk continues as Davenport bends over to get rimmed. By now, Stryker is on his feet, squeezing a fat chub that barely fits between the bars of his cell. The brunet bunkmate doesn't have to be asked twice to bend over for Davenport's ready jumbo poker. We get sizzling hole-stuffing footage. Though the forceful "fag" epithets fly, this ain't rape (remember, you can't rape the willing...). The intensity builds as Davenport bangs his way into another huge squirt shot. Then the brunet bottom pops a second load. Finally, Stryker's fat cock drops a thick wad on the floor.

For it being only his second day, Stryker seems to have caught on to the prison routine quite well. He takes a break from mopping to duck into a utility closet with Jeff Converse. For a toke on a joint and the promise of two cartons of cigarettes, he allows Converse to feast on his huge piece of meat. Not one to be shy, Stryker boasts about his size and tells his fellow inmate exactly what to do with it. We get awesome mouth-stuffing views. As Stryker straddles his face, Converse stokes his own perky bone. They both cum as he eats the star's fuzzy ass. Stryker delivers one of his (soon-to-be) famous zingers, telling Converse "Bend over that asshole. I'll give you your two cartons' worth!" With that, he crams a blistering fuck into Converse. The pain on his face is real. The footage is simply priceless as the brunet sits on Stryker huge, upturned pole. They both set up second rounds of spunk.

In the shower room, two young brunets don't wait for a third, mustached guy to drop the soap. Sensing that he is being eyed like a sirloin in a steak house, the older man volunteers to bend over for the young studs (as if he has a choice). First, Tony Marino mounts his ass, then his equally hung buddy enters Marino from behind. Though it has been attempted many times, this is one of the hottest threeway plug-ins you are likely to see anywhere. They break apart and the young guys take turns screwing the mustached man. The curly-haired friend wields his iron rod very well, popping a far-shooting cummer in the process. Marino loses the juice while licking his buddy's butt.

They resume the tag-team fucking for a while. Then comes the famous moment where the two friends get on the floor butt-to-butt and hold their dicks together. Without skipping a beat, the mustached guy squats down to take both cocks into his ass at once. Holy double penetration! His heretofore limp dick is suddenly up and cumming. Then the curly guy and Marino shoot two more huge loads.

In the final prison scene, the guard who is Stryker's nemesis weasels his way into the star's cell. He wants to barter Stryker's big dick in exchange for preferential treatment. Stryker massages his bone to its full glory and glides it right into guard's butt. The ass-busting footage is top notch. Stryker gives him what he wants and more. With the guard face down on the bed, Stryker rams his ass like crazy. Even the bed screams for mercy. In the spread-eagled position the guard lets loose a jizzer while getting fucked. Then Stryker pops a hot pull-out cumshot.

Elsewhere in the city, two guys are in bed experiencing the afterglow of sex. The hunky brunet is apparently Stryker's "close friend." His hung blond trick "de jour" wants to do it again. He goes down on the brunet's big, stiff meat pole. On the oral trade, the blond also boasts a nice-looking swell. The suck views get intense right before he spurts a hot no-hands jizzer. Then he shoots again while chowing on his partner's beef. The blond gets on all fours as the brunet stuffs his ass to the hilt with hard dick. The hot hole-pounding action reaches a sizzle when they change positions and the blond sits on that cock. Stryker arrives home in time to witness this maneuver and he is less than pleased. The blond shoots yet a third spunk shot while riding prick. Then the brunet squeezes out a couple of drops. As for Stryker, he packs a bag and hits the road, with the promise of more adventures to come.

As a bonus, Catalina has added two short features to the end of this special edition tape. The first is called Jeff Stryker - The Early Years. It opens with a very artistic scene, that has the star taking a shower in a darkly lit room. Wonderful video photography, but his spunk shot seems to get lost in all of the wetness. Next, there is a series of vignettes that show Stryker hugging his "mom" and leaving a rural home, walking the streets with the familiar big bulge in his crotch, driving a Porsche and working out at the beach.

They follow this with Jeff's First Screening - a scene where he does nude go-go dancing in a white shower room. It is interesting to see him in such a lighthearted scene, done before he adopted his famous macho persona. Next, there is a series of sexy clips from some of Stryker's previous videos, including In Hot Pursuit, The Look and bi films Thinking of You and The Switch is On.

The final bonus is a piece called Powertool - Behind the Scenes. Along with cute outtakes, we get an informative look at John Davenport's dialogue problems. It seems that he was too nice of a guy to play the mean and nasty topman. At the end they present A Special Moment Just For You. I'll save you the surprise, but it is an enjoyable glimpse of Stryker aping a famous movie scene originally done by a major Hollywood celebrity. He takes the scene where everyone really wants to see it go. Let's just say that it is a "risky enterprise."

This new and improved edition of Powertool is a must for any serious collector. Not only is it a chance for you to give your old tape a rest, but the changes in editing and sound take advantage of today's advanced technology. The all-new soundtrack by Sonic Seduction provides a subtle enhancement to the sex, as opposed to the hard-driving old one that seemed repetitive and overpowering at times. Now that the major studios are enhancing and re-releasing classics like Star Wars, Grease and Gone With the Wind, it's the perfect time for our gay counterparts to do the same. Powertool is a perfect start.

- Hank Ferguson

I graduated from high school when this timeless classic was originally released (1986), so it seems impossible to me that there's a gay man alive who hasn't seen this masterpiece. Well, in case you haven't, here is your chance as it is now available on DVD with some bonus features thrown in. While it wasn't Jeff Stryker's first video, it was the one that pushed him to superstar status. Aside from Stryker, the cast is an all-star lineup of the pre-condom era and is superhung Johnny Davenport's first video. Davenport, good looking and personable, sports as big a cock as Stryker but only stayed in the porn biz a short time.

Stryker gets sent to prison on trumped-up charges and quickly gets associated with prison life. He jacks off his huge cock while watching Davenport plow his bunkmate (Michael Gere). Stryker then gets awesome head from a fellow inmate, the incredibly handsome Jeff Converse, before fucking his ass on the tile floor of a supply closet. There's a hot three-way in the showers that features an incredible double penetration while Stryker is busy fucking the daylights out of prison guard Tony Bravo in his cell. While the prison action may not be totally believable, it is certainly hot! Back home, Stryker's boyfriend is getting his needs met by beefy built Tony Marino - too bad a recently released Stryker walks in and sees them going at it. Distraught, Stryker packs his bags and takes off. But sees an uncredited Mike Hanson on the street, and the sparks fly as the movie ends.

Stryker is absolutely perfect in this video - his incredible body, butch "straight-trade" attitude and that huge piece of meat swinging between his legs. A legend! I met Stryker at last year's Grabbys, and I have to say that he is just as handsome, built and hung as ever. But that attitude is an act - the man's a sweetheart! Aside from the main feature, this DVD also contains some bonus footage. There's a bonus track of Stryker jacking off to a music video, a feature Jeff Stryker: The Early Years which shows clips from his other early classics, outtakes from the filming of Powertool, and a Risky Business music video/jack-off takeoff that is funny, cute and sexy! Not all videos hold up over time, but this classic certainly does and deserves to be seen on DVD.

- Ryan Williams