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Wrong Side of the Tracks, Parts One and Two
Rating: 4 Stars
Directed by Chi Chi LaRue. Written by Chi Chi LaRue and Doug Jeffries. Videography by Hue Wilde. Edited by CH. Starring Johnny Hazzard, Tyler Riggz, Benjamin Bradley, Tommy Ritter, Jan Fischer, Kevin Brown, Shane Rollins, Marcus Iron, Pete Ross, Jacob Slader, Joey Jay, Chad Savage, Luca DiCorso, Theo Blake, Luke Strong, Eddie Stone, Jake Deckard, Alex Rossi, Trevor Knight, Hunter James, and Damon DeMarco.
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"I'm not a dialogue director," Chi Chi LaRue defensively asserted in a supplement to Falcon's Heaven to Hell. Some critics, including this reviewer, have agreed. Lately, however, LaRue has seemed to be moving toward the expertise of a Jerry Douglas (Honorable Discharge, The Dream Team) in wedding full-blown sex scenes to a coherent, well-crafted narrative that draws viewers in and actually heats up the sex. This trend was apparent in the recent Master of the House (see The Guide, May 2006). In Wrong Side of the Tracks, a double-barreled winner that in March swept this year's GayVN awards, story and sex are almost perfectly in sync.

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The script, which LaRue co-wrote with Doug Jeffries, follows a familiar template: small-town working-class lad escapes abusive, trailer-trash stepdad, hits the road in search of a better life, gets drawn into hustling, hits the skids, then finds redemption. Part One ends with a cliffhanger as a trick turns dangerous; Part Two throws the protagonist a lifeline. In the leading role, soulfully scruffy, sexually versatile Johnny Hazzard soars through a star turn that gives this five-hour-plus, two-disc epic a steady, radiant center. He also turns in his most nuanced sexual performance to date.

The rest of the large, top-tier cast pitches in to match Hazzard's commitment and skill. Most can even read lines. Cute, compact Chad Savage, as a rich kid with father and boyfriend problems who takes Hazzard under his wing, stands out as a secondary lead in Part Two. Big, muscular Tyler Riggz, as a traveler who gives Hazzard a lift and fucks him in the back of his van, pours intensity into his scene. There are two scorching rounds of group sex-- a gang initiation in Part One, an A-gay pool party in Part Two. All ten sex scenes catch fire and blaze.

This production shared the 2006 GayVN award for best feature with Michael Lucas's Dangerous Liaisons, and scooped up prizes for direction, videography, and editing. Hazzard earned honors for best actor and best solo, and split the award for best duo with Riggz.