''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a

gay pornographic film Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; it at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornograp ...

directed by Michael Lucas and released by

Lucas Entertainment Lucas Entertainment is a New York-based gay pornographic studio started by porn star Michael Lucas. It is one of the largest such studios in the world. The studio is known for lavish, big-budget films, and it contends that its 2006 film ''Mic ...

in 2005. The film is a

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of ''

Les Liaisons dangereuses ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782. It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...

'', a novel written in 1782 by

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official, Freemason and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (''Dangerous Liaisons'') ...

. Set in the fashion industry of modern-day

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Lucas inserted pornographic scenes into the common themes of

lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can ...

and

deceit Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

for the plot of his

X-rated An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

version. A documentary of the film, ''More Dangerous: The Making of Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons'', premiered at the 2006 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on July 22, 2006.

Plot

Michael Lucas plays Marcus Von Halpern, head of a New York fashion empire with a manipulative side, who enlists the help of Valentine Moore, played by Gus Mattox. Von Halpern wants Moore, a world-renowned photographer and "player", to seduce Sebastian Lacroix (Wilfried Knight), the new lover of Von Halpern's ex-boyfriend, Tom Mercedes (Kent Larson). Moore agrees on one condition: he gets a night with Von Halpern as his reward. Lacroix receives a call from his

modeling A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

informing him that he's booked for a photo-shoot with Moore. His boyfriend, Mercedes, warns Lacroix about Moore's reputation and advises him that Moore is not trustworthy. This

segue A segue (; ) is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next. The term is derived from Italian ''segue'', which literally means "follows". In music In music, ''segue'' is a direction to the performer. It means ''continue (the next ...

s into the first sex scene of the film, with Lacroix and Mercedes each

topping Topping may refer to: * Hill-topping, a mate-acquisition strategy amongst insects * Topping, slang term for capital punishment, especially hanging or beheading * Topping (surname), the name of several people * Topping (agriculture), a practice us ...

the other in a flip-flop encounter. In the following scene, Mercedes is seduced by his employee Matt Cody (Owen Hawk). They engage in sexual activity on the conference table in the boardroom when the cleaning guy (Mario Ortiz) shows up and joins in. Meanwhile, Moore sets up his photography session with Lacroix and engages another model, J., to seduce Lacroix. Lacroix is later guilt-ridden. Cody meets with Von Halpern, who wants to solicit information about Cody's boss, Von Halpern's ex-boyfriend, Mercedes. Another sex scene ensues. Von Halpern's current boyfriend Bobby (Bruce Beckham) discovers Von Halpern's

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...

and seduces Moore to get even. Since Von Halpern has reneged on his payment to Moore in the form of a night together, Moore responds favorably to Bobby's advances. The

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

s occur during the final scene, set as the

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

night of Moore's new gallery exhibit. There is an additional plot twist as a main character is murdered at the end.

Cast and characters

;Main characters *

Gus Mattox Tom Judson (born November 14, 1960) is an American musical theatre actor and composer, particularly for off-Broadway plays, and a retired pornographic film actor. His credits include writing music for the films '' Metropolitan'', ''Good Money'' ...

– Valentine Moore * Owen Hawk – Matt Cody * Michael Lucas – Marcus Von Halpern * Bruce Beckham – Bobby * Kent Larson – Tom Mercedes * Wilfried Knight – Sebastian Laqioux * Frankie – Delivery Guy * Kymberley Nevison - Secretary * Mario Ortiz – The Cleaning Guy * J. – Mack * Blair Ross – Marina ;Celebrity cameos *

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

Lady Bunny Lady Bunny, originally known as "Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock" (born Jon Ingle, August 13, 1962), is an American drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasion ...

Amanda Lepore Amanda Lepore is an American model, singer, and performance artist. A former Club Kid, she has appeared in advertising for numerous companies. Lepore is noted as a regular subject in photographer David LaChapelle's work, serving as his muse, as ...

Hedda Lettuce Hedda Lettuce is an American drag queen, comedian and singer who lives and works in New York City. The New York actor Steven Polito debuted his character Hedda Lettuce in 1991 on the Manhattan Cable TV show ''The Brenda and Glennda Show''. Lett ...

Michael Musto Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Musto is best known as a columnist for ''The Village Voice ...

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participan ...

* Matthew Mariani

Awards

The film received thirteen 2006

GayVN Awards The GayVN Awards are film awards presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornographic industry. The awards were sponsored by '' AVN Magazine'', the parent publication of ''GAYVN Magazine'', and continue the recognition for gay pornograp ...

nominations and won four: Best Picture (tie), Best DVD Extras/Special Edition, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for the performance of Kent Larson. The film tied for the 2006 GayVN Award for Best Picture with Rascal Video's ''Wrong Side of the Tracks Part One'' and ''Part Two'', directed by

Chi Chi LaRue Larry David Paciotti (born November 8, 1959) is an American director of pornographic films. He appears as the drag-diva persona Chi Chi LaRue (), and has been credited as director under the names "Lawrence David" and "Taylor Hudson". Career ...

. The 2006

Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards Grabby Awards (better known as The Grabbys) are presented annually in Chicago to honor work done in the gay adult erotic video industry. The awards are sponsored by ''GRAB Magazine.'' The Grabby Awards and ''GRAB Magazine'' are owned and operate ...

, commonly referred to as the " Grabbys," ''Dangerous Liaisons'' received nine nominations with one award to Gus Mattox for Best Actor.

References

External links

*
''Dangerous Liaisons''
at

Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons review
at FriskyFans.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Dangerous Liaisons 2000s pornographic films 2005 films Gay pornographic films Films directed by Michael Lucas Films based on works by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 2000s English-language films 2005 LGBT-related films American LGBT-related films American pornographic films