James Franco Takes Drastic Measures in Gay Porn Crime Drama ‘King Cobra’

Sandra Miska

The grisly murder of a gay porn producer is dramatized in “King Cobra,” a true-crime story produced by and co-starring James Franco. The initial protagonist is Stephen (Christian Slater), whom we first meet as he’s auditioning aspiring young actor Sean Lockhart (Garrett Clayton). You may wonder what a gay porn audition looks like; if you do, this scene shows that it happens pretty much how you would imagine.

Sean has dreams of going to college and becoming a filmmaker, but first needs some money. Sean stars in several films for Steven, all while living and sleeping with our auteur. Needless to say, the line between personal and professional is blurred. After he realizes that Stephen is only giving him a minuscule cut of his profits, Sean leaves him, which deeply affects Stephen not only financially but also emotionally, as he had tried to convince himself the young man genuinely cared for him.

Sean and Stephen’s story is interwoven with the parallel narrative of an older man/boy toy pornography team, Joe (Franco) and Harlow (Keegan Allen). They’re called the Viper Boys, and they supplement their income working as escorts. Joe’s glory days are behind him, so he mostly acts as a pimp for Harlow, leading to intense jealousy and possessiveness.

Sean moves from Stephen to the Vipers. Joe initially disdains him as a “twink,” but gives him a second look after his lavish lifestyle lands him in half a million of debt. At this point, Sean looks better to Joe and Harlow, and they schmooze him over a sushi dinner and convince him to star in their next masterpiece, “The Fast and the Curious.”

The only hitch is Stephen copyrighted Sean’s stage name, Brent Corrigan, and the Viper Boys and Sean fear that this rose by another name won’t smell as sweet. Sean has already attempted to destroy Stephen, and now drastic measures must be taken to finish the job.

Since “King Cobra” is set in the world of pornography, there’s, of course, plenty of exposed flesh and graphic sex scenes. Director and co-writer Justin Kelly was clearly inspired by Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights,” another porn story featuring a murder. But while that film had strong characters and development, the guys in “King Cobra” are more two-dimensional, at time even caricatures. Kelly does manage to cram in a few family members to show their human sides – Stephen is close to Amy (Molly Ringwald), his sweet but clueless sister who tries to set him up with women, and Sean has a mother, Janette (Alicia Silverstone), who worries about him. There’s also mention of Joe’s past as a youth pastor and Harlow’s childhood abuse, but these aspects aren’t explored sufficiently. The only character the viewer comes close to caring about is Sean, but Clayton’s performance lacks the punch to bring it home. Franco is entertaining as the unhinged Joe; per usual, he gets laughs even when he’s attempting to be serious.

“King Cobra” opens Oct. 21 in select theaters and VOD.