If your taste in adult films runs to the dark side then Titan Media has just the thing for you. Folsom Prison, the latest in the company's series of  "co-branded" Folsom videos (Folsom Filth, Folsom Leather, & Fear) is as rough and downright nasty as it can be. As the title suggests it's got a prison setting which has been used in many gay adult films over the years and fueled quite a few fantasies. As such Folsom Prison is much grittier than many of its predecessors and probably won't have you fantasizing about being incarcerated any time soon. Overall it's a worthy addition to the "Folsom" series and likely to inspire further installments. But it isn't for the squeamish or those who aren't turned on by an ample use of water sports.

 The plot of Folsom Prison is pretty basic. A falsely imprisoned convict and his fellow inmates battle against a corrupt system run by sexually depraved guards in a California penal (we just HAD to use the word) institution. Sure we doubt that the real Folsom Prison looks anything like this, but you're not looking for a factual representation, are you? There are six scenes over two discs and while they are all part of a bigger arching plot they can be viewed independently of one another. It's all linked together by the voice-over narration of Tony Buff playing the head guard. 

  Big, tall & muscular Diesel Washington is the hapless convict we mentioned and he's only in one scene, tortured by guards Markus Ram and Bjoern Giger before breaking free and reverting to his hard-driving top persona. The brutal nature of this first scene sets the stage for the rest of the film and it involves the first use of water sports. Now, this isn't our bag but we can handle it in a fetish-style film. The issue we had is that it's in 4 of the 6 scenes. If it's used for shock value then this intent is diminished somewhat by its overuse. And it does get overshadowed in this regard by the use of a real stun gun in a later sequence.

 As the chief guard Tony Buff has to carry the show and he aims to be the guy you love to hate but are turned on by (a la Oz's Christopher Meloni) He's in three scenes where he roughs up his prison snitch, initiates a gangbang on his unfaithful "bitch", and has his way with his favorite convict,  played by Chad Manning. Manning himself is in two scenes including a flashback sequence that takes place outdoors and a final scene with Buff that's erotic and intense.

 The other critique we had with Folsom Prison is that aside from this outdoors scene the film set is so dark at times it's hard to tell who's who are what's going on. Oh sure, we can figure it out but it requires a little scrutiny which isn't something we like to bother with when viewing erotica.

  Director Brian Mills does make good use of the theme and setting to extract intense performances out of his cast. The low-tech setting does seem to allow the guys to not be distracted. They're free to concentrate more on their fellow performers and thus they all work in sync. No one really seems out of place. So, now that Titan has released the fourth in this "Folsom" series and raised the bar again, what could be next?

 Folsom Prison is also available in high definition and we're sure the film and the extras look amazing on Folsom Prison Blu-ray™.