Thief of Hearts

Katie, (Lena Anderson) a bored drifter, is looking for some excitement to liven up her mundane day. When she meets a guy named Tod (Ryan Driller) with a nice ride, she grifts him in order to bring a scheme she’s been running with her boyfriend Jimmy (Ryan Mclane) to fruition. But Tod has a secret agenda that doesn’t include having his truck stolen, Jimmy has a secret that doesn’t include Katie accelerating their plans, and Katie is caught in the middle; which is right where she wants to be because that’s where the action is.

This is probably the strangest movie I’ve ever seen from Hank Hoffman. He weaves a story with no clear purpose or true path to resolution and that could end up as a turnoff for some viewers. While this type of story is certainly not my cup of tea, others will undoubtedly find its ambiguous and loose nature incredibly appealing. One thing is certain, the film’s success depends completely on Lena Anderson’s ability to deliver a very specific and stylized performance. If Lena falters, the movie falls flat on its face, if she shines, the movie ends up with cult classic appeal. Luckily for everyone involved, Lena knocks it out of the park.

She’s aloof, quirky and gleefully spontaneous. Her attitude feeds the story perfectly. Her playful facial expressions and the way she physically carries herself works. The way she jumps from point to unrelated point in conversations as if it’s the most normal thing in the world works. Everything Lena does in this movie just works and she basically turns every other character into the non-comedic version of the stooge (straight man). It is a very impressive performance from Lena and she is the glue that holds the entire film together.

Katie’s boyfriend Jimmy and a previous girlfriend Kendra both end up cheating on her which is a big factor in the way she approaches relationships (both sexual and platonic) and it’s a wonderful bit of exposition for Katie’s character. What I liked about it was Jimmy and Kendra were unfaithful for different reasons and in Kendra’s case, her cheating is a result of Katie’s toxic presence which adds a nice wrinkle to the story as Katie becomes a whirlwind of manipulation. One of the best lines in the movie (uttered very early on by Katie’s roommate) is, “She’s a taker,” and that describes Katie perfectly. Everyone in the movie is impacted by Katie’s penchant to take whatever she wants whenever she wants it. Katie’s behavior and its consequences isn’t just the core theme of the movie, it is the movie.

As is always the case, Hoffman showcases some scintillating sex and presents a cast full of fresh faces in the process. Second-generation performer Jaycee Starr (daughter of Brandi Lyons) makes her Wicked Pictures debut in this film and she’s paired with Australian stud Stirling Cooper. They are unknowingly victimized by Katie, but their hot tryst is worth the price. Starr and Cooper really look great together and Jaycee is very enthusiastic. The scene opens with cowgirl and Jaycee looks great during. What a sexy crease she’s got in her back! Hoffman captures some good angles and a good mix of close-ups and wide shots which allows some great views of the action. Loved the missionary where Cooper folded Starr’s legs up and rubbed her clit while thrusting into her, and there was a very sexy moment where Jaycee reached down and rubbed Cooper’s balls while he fucked her which was freaking awesome. The scene ends with a very hot variation of doggie where Jaycee is laying face-down on the couch.

Another talent making their Wicked Pictures debut is the nubile Bella Elise Rose whose character hooks up with cheating girlfriend Kendra Spade. We get some fantastic nipple play as Bella and Kendra really feast on each other’s breasts early on. It’s very sexy and I enjoyed the close-ups of the nipples because we could see them rise to perkiness from the tongue love in real time. Kendra really zeroes in on Bella’s clit, licking and sucking it voraciously while she keeps her ass raised for added visual stimulation. Kendra is actually very adept at making her ass a visual treat as is evidenced by the way she gyrates her hips while Bella rubs her pussy from underneath and again when she’s sitting on Bella’s face. Kendra fingers Bella a lot in this scene and one of my favorite things she does is make Bella taste herself via her fingers throughout. Kendra does most of the heavy lifting here as she is the more dominant, more enthusiastic, and more engaged of the two.

Roommate Nikki Peach and boyfriend Jay Smooth get into each other in their sparse bedroom while Katie mulls her plans for world domination in the next room. Jay is such a good performer. He does so many little things that make sex scenes feel more real and less like sexual performances and I really appreciate it. For instance, when Nikki is (impressively) deepthroating Jay to open the scene, he rakes his fingernails all along her back and buttocks and rolls his head back, eyes closed, lips parted slightly with pleasure. It’s clear that he’s enjoying Nikki’s work, but he also remains aware of her body and continues to connect with her on an intimate level while she’s slurping him up.

It’s great stuff. The cowgirl is slow and sensual and Nikki really gets a good grind on Jay that looks fantastic. Also note the way Jay holds her close while she’s grinding away on him; little things like that go a long way towards creating a strong connection between the performers, and by proxy, the viewers. I felt that things got a bit more tepid during the missionary as Nikki seemed to get stuck in neutral, but the rest of the scene is dynamic and highly arousing.

I loved the mood between Jimmy and his “whore” Gia Milana. While Jimmy initially tries to resist the temptation of Gia’s bodacious body, he ultimately succumbs to his carnal desires and ravages her. He’s aggressive and hungry and he pounds her hard. For her part, Gia loves every minute of it including the merciless finger bang, the desperate doggie slamming and then she adds her own aggressive yearning to the mix with a raucous reverse cowgirl ride on an old chair. Gia’s got a fantastic body (my goodness what a fit midriff) and tits that won’t quit. It’s a great scene that fits right in with the story.

Lena Anderson only has one scene in the movie (with male lead Ryan Driller) but it is so worth the wait. Everything about the way she moves is playfully, sinfully sexy which fits Katie’s character to a tee. I love the way she bites her lip and smiles during sex. I also like the way she uses her tongue during the blowjob and I’m so glad Hoffman had the camera zoomed out so we could see the expressive pleasure on Tod’s face. Watching Lena ride Driller slowly was great. She just looks so good on top of him, stuffed to the gills and the way the two kept eye contact was quite nice. If you love long legs, you’re going to adore the reverse cowgirl. Whew! I applaud both performers for making this scene seem exactly like the culmination the movie was moving us toward with Katie and Tod from the start. They feel exactly like a Bonnie and Clyde duo and I can’t say enough about how important that dynamic is to the story.

While this story didn’t grab me from a narrative perspective, Lena Anderson’s performance made the movie work for me. She captured the essence of the free-spirited drifter perfectly and it made the story just work. There’s really no other way to describe it. Credit to Hank Hoffman for taking a chance on such a unique story and finding the perfect talent to bring that story to life. Come awards time, Lena Anderson should be in the conversation. One final note, whomever is responsible for choosing the song that played as the movie ended (and was used earlier in the movie as well) deserves credit. That song is beautifully moody and fit this movie perfectly. I actually heard it for the first time in a recent Axel Braun film and I absolutely love it. Using that song added an incredible touch to the entire affair. I viewed this film on Wicked.com, so I was not able to view any special features.