Private Film 25: Apocalypse Climax 1

Nic Cramer is a top-drawer porn director who made many porn parodies, but somewhat contradictorily (and so different than the latterday hucksters who dominate that genre decades after) aspired to creating something original in the process.

Apocalypse ClimaX, split into two short features as was the common gimmick of '90s VHS porn projects, combines chintzy elements (the cheap-jack action scenes worthy of a backyard movie) and more impressive qualities, such as lighting that effectively imitates images from the Coppola original. It even grafts the "sexual freedom" theme common to most serious porn movies onto the inherent anti-war thrust of the classic movie starring Martin Sheen. Part 1 sets up the familiar story items amidst plenty of XXX footage, while Part 2 has explicit parody that Coppola would likely chuckle at plus a mesmerizing performance by Melissa Hill (of Vivid girl fame) in the Brando role.

Yes, the capsule summary listed in IMDb for this 2-parter is bogus and misleading: Col, Flurtz is a she, and it is not a squad of female commandos sent to hunt "him" down.

Instead, the Sheen role goes to Jon Dough, porn's #1 leading man in 1995 when this was made. His voice-over narration is excellent, delivered to create a mood of both world weariness and apprehension, while his acting is not so hot. Scene-stealer Tammi Ann, a flat-chested and talented star of this era, upstages him as his gung-ho (sexually) assistant on the mission, along with good old Kyle Stone as a more standard soldier and Frank Gun (credited as Ferenz Juhaz) as the boat captain taking our heroes up river.

Blondes Anita Blond and Laura Palmer are hot in the sex scenes and there's even a violent gang rape scene of a Vietnamese girl led by Hill and her men.

Outstanding acting goes to Brent Beckett, styled as a hippie oriented general who assigns Dough to the deadly mission. His orders re: Hill are spoken by Kyle Stone as more than a hint of the Part 2 elements of parody/satire to come: "Penetrate with extreme prejudice".

Fellow Swede and future sort-of-cult director of Swedish action/porn movies Mike Beck is the stunt coordinator.