As in Harmony Korine’s neon-lit thriller, the actor goes no holds barred. And while Clayton makes for a charismatic lead, it’s Franco who steals the picture, much as he did in Spring Breakers. of gay men participating in amateur sports, although the success of the Gay. Alicia Silverstone brings a lot of heart to her few scenes as Lockhart’s deceived mother. paying special attention to the Gay Games held since 1982, and on the. Where Kelly and his cast let loose are in the film’s wild sex scenes, which both serve the narrative and manage to titillate. King Cobra is much more contained, solely focused on the intersection of these four characters over a short span of time.
Related: The Phenom review: baseball movie throws a curveballĭespite its subject matter, King Cobra isn’t a gay Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic about the inner workings of the porn industry. Seeing the development as an opportunity, Joe (Franco), an enterprising but cash-strapped porn producer, lassoes in his performer boyfriend Harlow (Keegan Allen) to get Lockhart on their roster by whatever means necessary. Quickly realizing his value, Lockhart immediately demands a higher fee, leading to an ugly fallout. Lockhart is young (he’s 17 at the outset of Kelly’s film, lying to Stephen that he’s 18) but, according to the film, no fool. But as Lockhart’s star begins to rise, he grows more predatory, deluding himself that the pair are lovers.
“They are going to love you,” says Stephen (Christian Slater), the man who runs the lucrative empire out of his suburban home.Īt first Stephen appears harmless, visibly enamored with his young new talent. Introducing himself as Brent Corrigan, Lockhart proceeds to masturbate on camera. Teen Beach Movie star Garrett Clayton makes a radical shift to very adult-orientated fare as the tanned and taut Sean Paul Lockhart, who at the outset of Kelly’s film is seen on grainy digital footage, auditioning for Cobra Video, the amateur gay porn company that would soon go on to make him famous. King Cobra finds Franco in supporting mode, in service of a ripped-from-the-headlines drama covering the crazy tale behind the early rise of gay porn star Brent Corrigan. In I Am Michael, Franco played a gay activist who declared himself straight after becoming religious.