A Train 4

So you like anal, but you don't think it's the greatest thing since shaved pussy. You're curious, but not so much you'd consider picking up a copy of "Anal Sluts and Sweethearts". Then "A Train 4", directed by Corey Jordan, might be just what your own personal sex therapist ordered. It's got plenty of anal action, but it doesn't shirk the other stuff, either, and more importantly, it's neither smutty nor leering.

The first scene stars Gia and Steven St. Croix. In her pre-scene interview, Gia looks nothing if not bored, but she heats up when St. Croix arrives. The sex that follows is slow, relaxed, and comfortable: these two act like a couple of strangers who liked the look of each other and decided to have a little fun. The anal action doesn't even really begin until after a series of fuck-blow combos, and when it does, it's handled in the same way as the rest of the sex, as just another way to get off.

That's good, I think - in theory. In practice it's even better here because St. Croix brings so much to the table. Here's a guy who looks like he really enjoys his job and genuinely likes women. A lot of guys get whatever kissing they're going to do out of the way up front and then concentrate on popping off, but St. Croix - to the extent possible in this sort of porn film - makes love to Gia, and that includes interrupting the flow of the sex with kisses a few times to keep Gia involved on a personal level. The Behind the Scenes short on this disc includes a shot of St. Croix muff-diving for the fun of it; as the roving reporter points out, the cameras aren't even rolling.

The other male members of the cast haven't got St. Croix's magnetism, which leaves their scenes in the hands of the girls and the director. That's okay for Taylor St. Clair, who has been around the block a few times, but what about the other girls? (Taylor has a funny moment in her three-way with Eric Masterson and John West. She's wearing a complicated top and the guys are having a time of it trying to set her breasts free. Calm and slightly amused, she says, simply, "Problems?") Chloe Dior handles herself all right with Tyce Bune, not because of any vast experience, but because she's a dirty talker - "Fuck my ass!" she orders Tyce. "Harder!" That helps keep everything in line.

But Jordan's a weak director, I think, easily handled by experienced performers. Left to his own devices, he shows an unfortunate propensity for repetition. And this being the kind of film it is, his favorite act to repeat is ATM. ATM, for the uninitiated, stands for Ass-to-Mouth. Woe to his young talent, Melanie Jagger and Taylor Lynn. Melanie has to suck Alex Sanders' cock after an anal segment at least five times. The allure of the act for the viewer is understandable, but anything's going to get a bit old with this sort of treatment.

On the other hand, keeping things interesting is Jordan's idea that anal sex isn't everything. What I didn't like about the fourth installment of "Anal Sluts and Sweethearts" was its "pussy is for the birds" attitude. Here, the guys eat pussy and screw in all the usual ways, which gives the sex an air of completeness that I found much more satisfying. I can't really recommend this film to any but the anally curious, but it is a whole lot classier than some of its competition.

The "A Train 4" disc includes an upbeat Behind the Scenes segment, an interview with 22-year-old Melanie Jagger (and why only her is a mystery), a photo gallery, and a host of trailers. It's pretty clear this film was made in a comfortable, easy-going environment, and it shows in the finished product. I like that. But Steven St. Croix's the star of it, and somehow that doesn't seem right.