The yearly big blockbuster from Lucas Entertainment is always a pleasure, but "Assassin" is different. Sure, it looks like it cost a fortune, but this is not an epic story dripping with trappings to fill time between the sex scenes. This is a movie where every moment is created for a purpose. This is porn so gorgeous and so exacting that if you take out some of the sex, it could be sold as a steamy soft-core feature, better than any you would currently find on cable TV. But, if you take the sex out of "Assassin," you take out its guts. Literally. The sex here is chemically explosive. The men in the movie have the same sense of insane focus as their directors and the scenes scorch with blazing power. Each one goes by with the feeling that you have just seen the best there is to offer and then the next one is even better. People who claim they don't like stories with their porn, I would invite you to watch "Assassin" and see if you don't change your mind. It's that worthy, that spectacular.

The opening set is absolutely a stunner, by any cinematic standards. Michael Lucas, in a suit, is sitting on a bed in a dingy dull room with a chirping bird. The only actual color to be found is in his face, his hand, which is covered in blood, and a playing card he's holding. The set design and implementation are so meticulous, washed out to make only what is absolutely necessary (the man, the blood, the card) of any visual value. Yes, of course Michael's face is made-up heavily, but to achieve the desired effect, it has to be. Without speaking, his impassive face registers no emotion as he takes his gun, has a last cigarette and leaves the room.

The next season shows a murder on a rooftop and then it's back to Michael.

He's back in the dank hotel, but this time, add sounds to the color, the sound of a dripping faucet. Now we are clued in on Michael visually and we're aware of sounds around him (if he doesn't shoot that bird, I will). Even the opening and closing of the room door are magnified and heightened. The Prince of the Pout (which is a good thing here), goes home and finds a deck of cards in his mailbox, a regular old deck of playing cards, except an ace with Junior Stellano's face on it, the very card we saw in his bloody hand in the first scene.

As for Junior, who ordered the rooftop murder and stayed to watch it, he goes into a club where sexy singer Ari Gold is warbling and tattooed beefcake Adam Killian is stripping for a crowed of smiling extras. Junior sashays through the crowd, bestowing kisses on the guys (including guest star Rafael Carreras, whom I could spot in a room of 150 clothed men even if the camera hadn't concentrated on him a few times).

Rough-stuff Junior goes into the back where Brad Star is waiting for him in his underwear. "How you doing, big boy?" Brad asks. Junior tells him not to talk. Good idea. Hairy Junior wants his dick sucked and Brad is all over it before Junior has the chance to remove a stitch of clothing. Brad, who is not usually very good orally, is superb here! He's full of focus and actually seems to be enjoying himself while loudly and wetly sucking Junior's cock. Then Junior, the fancy kingpin, hits the floor and gobbles up Brad's dick like he's the one who needs pleasing! Brad's long cock is given an excitable deep throat by Junior, which Brad's reaction murmurs sounding very real. Junior's hand-mouth combo inspires Brad to do the same on his second trip up and down Junior's dick with his mouth. They 69 over a desk, both still working hard. Brad mounts the desk and Junior rims and fingers his ass with notable lust. The smooth hairless ass does look mighty tasty. But it's Junior who gets fucked. After a tough insertion, Brad has a smooth trip in and out for the whole fuck. He can move with his usual power, going at Junior nice and hard, which muscle-bound Junior can certainly withstand. Admittedly, the chemistry of the oral section is not as crisp now, but that does not mean that Brad does not turn in a very good topping performance. Fucking Junior missionary helps because Junior, whose body looks so regal splayed all over the desk, is hard and loving it. He's so hard, in fact, that he throws on a condom and has Brad sit on him. Brad is quite the bouncer in this scene. It's a fairly quick session as Brad, dripping with sweat, cums on Junior's hairy pecs. Junior then finishes himself off with Brad watching. "So good," Junior mutters afterward, switching to the rascal and tossing Brad out of his office coldly.

In the club, Ari is still singing and Adam is still stripping, doing a special pause on Michael Lucas when he comes into the club. Michael goes into Junior's private office and kills him, without uttering a line of dialogue. Even when he sees Adam Killian outside the door, a witness to what happened, he doesn't so much as twitch. He just leaves the club as Ari hits his big final note. Adam follows Michael, and not subtly either. Michael goes into the subway and Adam chases, but Adam is too late, only able to look at Michael through the glass as the subway leaves the station without him on it.

Playing pool in a dark bar are scruffy smiling Braxton Bond and luscious sex god Rafael Alencar. Rafael gets the call and announces, "he got him." They toast with a drink and Rafael says, "our hands are clean." "Well played," retorts Braxton before they put everything they have into making out. Naked, Rafael's awesome body, gigantic ass and cock dwarf Braxton's thinner inked self, so Braxton knows it's time to please the cock ripping a hole through the jeans. Braxton teases by starting through Rafael's underwear, then pausing for a drink, but Rafael soon pushes him back down. If Braxton wants to drink, let him spill his whiskey on Rafael's cock and lick it off. Braxton is awfully lively blowing Rafael, so determined to master one of porn's biggest. And he nearly does! He sucks Rafael until gagging as often as possible and lets Rafael smack him in the face with his dick (which sounds like it hurts!). Braxton bends over the pool table and gets his ass smacked hard for sure this time. Still using whiskey as lube, Rafael faux fucks Braxton's hole. His spit and whiskey must make for a tasty combination. Rafael opens Braxton's ass for the camera and tongue fucks it. The testing phase over, Rafael knows Braxton is ready and sends his dick shooting into Braxton's ass. He insists that Braxton push back on it to make it all fit and as you watch every thick inch disappear, it's so damn impressive. And Rafael is not a tender top. Every stroke must go in fully. He's also a challenging top in the sense that he doesn't stick with any rhythm too long, constantly surprising Braxton with some new style or speed. By the time Braxton swings a leg up on the pool table (and Rafael does the same), there is no doubt his ass has been fully opened by his tireless top. Rafael then does Braxton nearly face-down on the pool table, their legs wide apart and Rafael's thighs bearing all of his weight, not an easy position. Rafael stands over Braxton and sinks his cock into Braxton's ass, which is now so used to Rafael's dick that the latter can come and go as fast as he pleases. With Braxton bent in half, Rafael really nails him hard and then pulls out a convenient dildo. The dildo is not as long or thick as Rafael, so it's probably a welcome semi-breather for Braxton. Not for long. Rafael has another dildo and uses them together, stretching Braxton way far. As rough as he was with his own dick, he does the same with two dildos, though sucking Braxton at the same time must be a nice visual feeling. Braxton roars for real when Rafael keeps both dildos in there and then shoves his cock back in! It's like the equivalent of two fists. The very real feelings Braxton displays are fantastic, and once again Rafael is a master of trickery, alternating the dildos with his dick and never letting Braxton know what is coming next. All marathon scenes, even one as outstanding as this one, must end, and it starts with Braxton cumming and then Rafael doing the same, but leaving his cum all over Braxton's leg, all the way down to his boot, which Rafael licks off. I can't say their placement in the plot is 100% clear yet, but they certainly have committed perfect porn to film. They don't get to enjoy afterglow for too long as they are ordered to "take out the hit man! This can't be traced!"

Cops Steven Daigle and Wilfried Knight come to the crime scene, but, knowing there is a witness, Wilfried sends Steven home. Steven pops by a bar where lean sassy Cliff Jensen has no customers. Cocky Cliff snaps, "hey, you mind waitin' your turn?" to which Steven replies, "I came in here for a stiff drink, not a bad attitude!" The genuinely witty banter continues until Cliff hops atop the bar and has a shot with Steven. "Hey, um, your zipper's down," Steven notes, and Cliff says he was so bored, he had to do something. Cliff isn't at all impressed that Steven is a cop, pouring liquor on his dick and letting Steven suck it off. Cliff has so far given the best acting performance of the movie, but now it's time to forget all that and dive into the sex. Steven certainly does, working out his stress by sucking Cliff greedily, pushing himself to deep throat. Cliff even drops the attitude and beings to enjoy himself getting such grand treatment. Steven, happily captivated by his own work, races up and down Cliff's cock and still manages to catch the spittle dripping off it to re-use it in a beautiful choking display that leaves Steven's face coated in spit and more eager than ever. Oral work does not get more fervent than this. Steven may look like a corn-fed beauty boy, but when he's sucking cock, he's as hellcat. Cliff pulls Steven's gun out of his holster and has Steven blow the gun and the cock together, which adds a magnificent level of danger to the scene. Steven's mouth gets a well-earned rest when Cliff attends to his dick. Cliff is not as flashy as Steven, but his deep throats efficiently and with force. Cliff's oral work is brief, because Steven wants to stuff his face into Cliff's hairy ass badly. Using the same fire (and spit) he showed on Cliff's ass, he rampages around Cliff's butt with his whole face, hungry as hell for it. If Cliff isn't careful, Steven's eagerness is going to push him right off the bar. Cliff gets to show off topping Steven. Back in character, he's a nasty little sprite, but now it's used correctly, to fuck the stuffing out of Steven. Steven is more than happy to help, backing up on Cliff as much as he can, and fitting Cliff's thickness all the way up Steven's ass is no easy task, but they both clearly relish. When Cliff does Steven missionary, he's livelier, because Steven can't steal any of his thunder. His slender succulent body is all muscle and he uses every bit of that dreamy reedy frame to force his cock in and out of Steven's hole with punishing speed. Steven cums on Cliff's leg and licks it up while Cliff beats off and eventually leaves his load on Steven's waiting face. Covered in cum, Steven still wants to suck and lick Cliff. "I guess you are a bad boy," Steven comments. "I guess you are a dirty pig,' Cliff snaps back, as acid-tongued as ever.

At an abandoned dock by the river in the middle of a glacial New York City winter, Michael meets Rafael. "You have the money?" Michael asks in his first line of dialogue (nearly two hours into the movie). "Did anyone see you?" Rafael asks. Michael says no, but Rafael doesn't believe him and breaks a bottle over his head (watch the "Making Of" after the movie and see how much effort it took to get this right, not to mention how much it must have pained Michael Lucas to involve his face that close to any action!) and pulls a gun on him. Michael kicks it out of his hand and chases Rafael to the water's edge. "I did my job," Michael coldly comments, but Rafael yells "someone saw you" before Michael shoots him and Rafael crumples in the S-L-O-W-E-S-T fall to the ground caused by a gunshot in cinematic history. And thus Michael leaves another dead body in his super-glam never-rumpled wake.

Ah, but there's more to the story, we find out, when Wilfried shows up at Drew Cutler's apartment. Drew is the one who ordered the hit on Junior and Wilfried, his boyfriend or fuck bud or whatever, has covered for him. He reminds him that he can't always cover for him, especially this time, where there is a witness. But, apparently a successful hit makes them both horny and they wrap their arms around each other spitting and pushing and moaning the whole way. Fully clothed, these two are full of heat, literally groaning with desire. How can Drew now lust after Wilfried, whose handsome hairy perfection never seems to age? And how can Wilfried not want Drew, another good looking zesty morsel? Wilfried, always the aggressor, is on the attack from the beginning, biting on Drew's nipples until it's time to bury his face in Drew's crotch. An ace blower, Wilfried swallows Drew hole with intimidating precision, still smacking around Drew's body. The man can play with a piece of drool better than anyone else, the ultimate tease to Drew, who just wants him nose to pubes. Just when you think the last scene has been the most outrageously passionate, along comes another and another and another. Simple twosomes, you may think, but not with these guys, and not under the direction of Michael Lucas and Mr. Pam. These guys are absolute animals. Wilfried turns his attention, beard and spit to Drew's ass hole, not forgetting the cock, but now spreading his talents wider. The sounds Drew makes having his ass eaten are louder and more full of heft than most guys make getting fucked. You would think Wilfried would rest a bit while Drew blows him, but that would be underestimating the great Wilfried Knight. Somehow, he's the one drenched in sweat! They spit and smack and beat each other, but all with desire. Wilfried can't wait to stick his ass out in Drew's direction, and Drew of course fills it with spit and goes munching. Wilfried knows just how to subtly grind his ass to make it all look even better for the camera and Drew's slurpy ass eating are perfectly in line with everything else so far. Wilfried fucks Drew, but now the two might be tiring somewhat, because Wilfried adopts an almost romantic feel. His grinding still goes unmatched as he sexily pushes into Drew, but some of the battle-ready excitement is lost. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all! They were at a 10 orally, and now maybe at an eight, so they are still doing better than most guys in any scene in any movie. Wilfried, always a star, makes it look heavenly, and Drew certainly goes along with every thrust. Their fuck is rather short compared to the others, but Wilfried is as excited by Drew's cum as he was by his spit, licking it off Drew and feeding it back to him while the two bark in glee. Wilfried cums in Drew's lucky mouth and then they return to the spit-a-thon that is the wonderful hallmark of this scene. Their happiness is also interrupted, when a phone call tells Drew about Rafael's death. Wilfried, with his French accent as sexy as anything he's just done to Drew, threatens Drew that is has to be taken care of because he's a cop and can't keep covering for these dimwitted killers. They decide they have to "track the witness down."

And that, of course, is strapping he-man Adam Killian. Michael shows up at his apartment and before Michael can say a word, Adam is pleading that he didn't say anything to anyone. Michael wants to know what Junior's business was (would have been nice to know that before shooting him, I suppose, but Michael has a line ready to counter that argument). Michael says he's not there to hurt Adam and even puts his gun down. I will say here that after rewinding and watching this dialogue I'm not quite sure what's happening, but I suppose somehow Michael has fallen in love with Adam, who has witnessed his dastardly ways and still manages to be cheerful…oh, and hot! I guess killing is definitely second place to fucking. So, right there in the vestibule, they start to kiss. Passionately and with softer music. This scene is unlike the others, which were balls-to-the-wall (literally). This one is tender and sweet, not two words one would ever associate with these two big-lipped performers. I will also note that this scene looks unlike the others. All of the other scenes took place in dark confined rooms to fit the story and the evil characters running through it. But the apartment where Michael and Adam have their scene is awash in sunlight through the windows, bold colors all over the place. There is nothing in "Assassin" that is accidental. Anyway, the two have a truly lovely kissing start, so oozing comfort that Adam even stands with his back to Michael to get his neck nibbled. You don't see that in too many Michael Lucas movies, especially not from Michael Lucas! Adam sucks Michael's dick and worships it, but gently and without pushing too hard. It's not until Michael does his favorite thing and eats Adam's ass that the scene departs a bit from its intended feeling, and not through anything sexual, but from some over-earnest moaning from Adam. Michael does not dig with his fingers or angrily spit as he often does, but rather drizzles the spit down into the hole and so effortlessly eats Adam's ass. Before they fuck, Michael actually whispers to Adam that he wants to fuck him. He doesn't command, he doesn't insist, he whispers. At this point, there's no reason not to let loose and Michael certainly tops Adam with vigor, though I still think the moaning is out of place. The fuck is shown from behind first, where Michael ever so gently shoves his way deep into Adam. As the top, he's both authoritative and controlled. He keeps Adam calm by sticking a finger in his mouth to suck. But, you can't mistake the looks on their faces for anything but total delight. Adam is such an easy bottom that Michael can go all the way in without any problem. That looks a whole lot easier than it must be. The more they kiss, the sweeter it all is and the less screeching too. But no matter what, Michael never deviates from the comfortable pace he's created for the scene. His sexual acting is as noticeable as his scene acting. That's not to say that the scene is devoid of change. Not at all. Michael contorts Adam into some interesting positions and at times ratchets up the speed, but never losing the thought that this is a love scene. There are some really beautiful moments where it's obvious Michael is finding every sweet spot on Adam's body. He'll be mid-howl and stop to say, "wow, right there!" or "I love it when you touch my face." That's when the scene is perfect because Adam nails the emotion that Michael has been using since the beginning and it fits with the scene. "I want you to fuck me forever. I don't care what you do, just come back to me," Adam says, and I'm not sure if it's him or his character. Those are the best moments. After a very long time, Michael fucks Adam from behind, with the same lullaby beauty, full of elegance and breathless suspense. You wait for him to explode, you want him to explode, into patented Lucas rage, but there is no place for that here. Toward the end, Michael has to fuck Adam harder in order to get him to cum, which happens with sound so loud I expected my neighbors and their dogs to come running. Michael shoots on Adam's belly as their lips are locked.

In love, Michael decides to give up his evil life of killing, goes back to his apartment and sets that world afire (along with the bird) and rushes back to Adam. Will the Assassin who has had his first taste of heart and love find happiness with the go-go- boy of his dreams? Well, I leave the end to you as the final treat.

DVD features: Chapters; widescreen; behind-the-scenes footage; trailers ("Desire," and "Auditions 33"); and no regional coding (playable worldwide).

A DVD Review by Brent Blue ( http://ManNet.com )

*** Highly, Highly Recommended ***