Title: The Jackbooth Job

Stars: Kelly McKay, Amber Bliss, Jon O'Brien, Travis Lee and Billy Boyd

Looking at the glowing reports so far about The Jackbooth Job, I can't help but think absence has made the heart grow fonder.

It's true that this movie -- the first new ZFX title in more than a year, and probably the last new release for the immediate time being -- has its moments. But I wonder if this movie would be getting the same praise if it had been released in a year that had plenty of new ZFX titles? Frankly, in my view, this movie is OK, but nothing special.

Since Ralphus and others have already reported on the plot details, I won't waste time rehashing the same ground. Instead, here are my general thoughts on The Jackbooth Job.

I agree with Ralphus that the first half of the movie -- the movie-within-a-movie segment, called "Midnite Attacker" -- is the better part of the film.

Unfortunately, the heroine in the Midnite Attacker section -- Amber Bliss -- is kinda plain looking. I liked her thin body and her nice, natural breasts, but her face didn't do much for me. Her somewhat big nose and dark eyebrows were a little off-putting. Although I can see how some people might find her cute, in her own way, she is no threat to the legacy of great ZFX starlets of years gone by.

All the same, Amber has real acting talent. Some of the early scenes, where Jon O'Brien is holding her captive at knifepoint, are great. Amber truly looks scared and is completely convincing, adding an erotic charge to the parts where O'Brien strips off some of her clothes.

Then there's the scene, after Amber has already pissed herself, where O'Brien puts Amber's face down to the bathroom floor and forces her to stick out her tongue and lick up her own urine. The look of disgust on Amber's crying face is perfect. For my money, this is the best scene in the movie.

Amber's other scenes -- including ones where she gets shocked by electric charges, and the one where she is raped doggie-style over a desk -- are fine. Nothing remarkable, although I did like the way O'Brien was pulling Amber's hair while he was raping her.

It was the second part of the movie -- the section featuring Kelly McKay and Travis Lee -- that left me feeling disappointed.

Certainly, that disappointment had nothing to do with Kelly McKay's looks. For my money, the tall brunette looks sexier in this movie than in many of her other ZFX films. Regrettably, I just didn't think much of the performances.

The scenes where Kelly gets zapped with the stun gun lacked spark (pun intended), and her whipping scene also seemed uninspired. As Ralphus noted, it didn't help that Travis often remained quiet throughout these scenes.

There is one good scene, where Kelly is crouched down with her arms tied behind her back, and is forced to give Travis a blow job, ending in a slow-motion facial. For the most part, however, it seems Kelly has given better performances in other movies.

It's too bad that Kelly's character never got raped. As well, while the movie has plenty of scenes of women being tied up, sometimes to the roof, the movie doesn't have any scenes where the victim is actually lifted off the ground -- something I always like to see.

Overall assessment: recommended, with a few qualifications.