I'll echo Scribbler's take that there is no doubt about the identity of the main villain in this one...it is indeed the legendary Whitman, bondage pioneer and the man behind HOM's classic films from the 1970s and 80s, which many of you still consider the Golden Age of Bondage. Like Scribbler, I was fortunate enough to view the raw, unedited footage. I could tell it was him immediately, even though he had the mask on. For one thing, I instantly recognized the voice from his older work. No mistaking that familiar Southern twang. Plus, since this was the raw footage, he was actually seen on camera between shots and it's definitely him. A little older, a little greyer, but he still looks basically the same 25 years later. And like Scribbler noted, he does show off the tattoo for any Doubting Thomases out there.

And how's the movie? Well, it's hard to review the raw footage, since I don't know what's going to end up in the final version, but there's definitely some good stuff here. Amber Rayne is given some very rough pussy crotch rope suspension (the bondage highlight, IMO), then she is forced to straddle a spiked rope between her legs. She is penetrated with a couple dildos, one of the spiked variety and attached to a pole, and another an enormous metal one about 2 feet long that gets strapped up inside of her.

My only objection? Amber is only gagged once in the film, and not surprisingly, it's in the aforementioned crotch rope segment, maybe the reason why this scene worked the best. The lack of gags is still rather puzzling considering this was made by the Father of HOM, who really should have known better.

Nonetheless, Amber Rayne is really good playing the victim, and Whitman (I still can't call him Blakemore) is an excellent villain. The cruel taunting and viciousness of his threatening is exactly what gives this the same edge that his old stuff had, an edge that's sadly missing from most of the material being made today. No doubt about it, today's bondage filmmakers could certainly learn a thing or two from this old master. Simply put, Blakemore: The Legend Returns works because it is mean, and that meanness is what sets it apart from most of today's modern work (ZFX excepted, of course). In the interview that follows, Amber herself says it was more sadistic than anything she'd come across in quite some time.

And speaking of the interview...is it possible that seeing Whitman back in action could possibly take a back seat to watching him get interviewed afterward? In this case, yes. We only get to hear him talk for a little over 20 minutes or so, but I was sitting on the edge of my seat just taking it all in. Among other things, he mentions that it was Dan Hawke who got him in contact with the Sarge which led to his comeback (and incidentally, Dan himself admitted that it was his own posting on the GIMP forum that started the whole chain of events...hey, we're part of history). Anyway, if you order the movie, make sure you don't miss the interview portion, it's fascinating stuff, seriously.