Joe Landon Stars in The Apprentice
It isn't often that I go back a year or so to get a video for review. However, after I saw A Young Man's World, I decided to do just that. Delta Productions and Kevin Clarke had sent me the new DVD version of The Apprentice to evaluate, and because of the outstanding performance by Joe Landon, I thought it would be nice to re-evaluate the work of one of the brightest young stars in adult videos.
Usually with Gay videos you only get the bumping and grinding action, but I like a little story to go along with it. Delta Productions has capitalized on this and come up with some very entertaining videos. The Apprentice is an example of this excellence, and the acting skills of all the stars involved in the production are first-class all the way. This is one of the best examples of a true Gay love story in the adult area that I have seen. It is an interesting look at hustling while at the same time giving you a look at an unforgettable relationship.
Joe Landon is perfect in this role. He is the beautiful young man who is thrown out of his home by his father who has discovered Gay pornography in his room. With no way to discuss the situation with the father, Landon heads out to Hollywood and begins to walk the streets. It is on one of these streets that a key lands at his feet. It had been thrown by Scott Matthews, and with no where else to go, Landon picks up the key and follows Matthews into the apartment. When Matthews offers money for sex, it is accepted, and the story of a hustler's life is about to begin. This was a very nice sexual encounter, but then most of Landon's encounters are quite nice and expertly executed.
Chris Rock tries to watch the action from another room, but Landon is wise enough to cover up the camera that is in place to video the sex act. He is very impressed with this action and follows him out of the apartment and makes him an offer he can't refuse. It's the beginning of the teacher-training program on how to be a good hustler.
Landon gets to watch Rock and a client, Marco Antonio, have sex. Afterwards the teacher and the pupil have lunch at a sidewalk caf‚ and observe a couple talking. Rock asks Landon to make up a story about these two, and the next scene is the fantasy he reveals. It involves Alex Carrington and Tony Cummings. Carrington becomes the bullfighter to Cummings' infatuated lover. What follows is another outstanding sex scene.
Rock is a tarot card reader, and it is this phase of the movie when the viewer realizes that he is falling in love with Landon. The one lesson that he has been teaching his student is never to show personal feelings and never ever fall in love with a client. He hides his feelings when he sends Landon out to take care of his first assignment. This is where Landon reveals to Matthews that he is in love with Rock and can't go through with the assignment. The assignment had involved Steve O'Donnell and Joey Stevens, so Matthews steps in as the paid hustler and takes care of the action in a marvelous three-way scene.
It is then that Landon returns to Rock and tells him that he can't go through with what he has been taught. They begin to kiss, and this leads to the ultimate sex scene of the movie. The passion is there to make this a really believable encounter and a wonderful ending to a Gay love story.
Having been a movie buff all my life, I see Joe Landon as one of the few young men in adult film who might possibly be able to cross over into regular film. He's a serious Chicago student who makes only one film a year according to a recent magazine interview, so he's got the brains in the right head and the talent to go for the big screen. In another article, I saw a discussion on who might star in Patricia Nell Warren's The Front Runner if it ever gets to become a movie. Landon would be a perfect Billy Sive, and Brendon Fraser would make a fine coach especially if you take a look at the excellent acting job he turned in for Gods and Monsters. I doubt if this will ever come to pass, but I think it would be a perfect pairing, and Landon could revert to his real name in this one.
Before closing, let me say that Barry Knight has again shown his expertise in good directing with The Apprentice. This is one DVD that I certainly recommend to everyone. His direction and Michael Syn's screenplay along with the editing, videography and music make this a standout among adult movies.
In my estimation, Delta Productions is one of the best sources of Gay entertainment out there at this time. Their movies are always top-notch productions. For more information on price and availability, contact Barry Knight or Kevin Clarke at Delta Productions, 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., PMB 109-497, West Hollywood, CA 90046. You can also check them out at deltavideo.net, or phone 1.800.664.6550. Be sure to ask for the DVD version of The Apprentice. The outtakes are just as great here as with A Young Man's World.
Oh, to be young again and have someone like Joe Landon as your significant other.
