Director: Sven J. Matten
Running Time: 108 mins
Certificate: 15
Release Date: May 23rd 2016 (UK)
Daniel (Chad Connell) is a successful man – he has a popular TV talk show and his growing ratings have ensured that his star is on the rise. However, he’s also plagued with anxiety and panic attacks, which causes him to have an on-air meltdown and afterwards to hide himself away from the world, not talking to his producer or anyone else.
Then he meets Alexander (David Cameron – who you won’t be surprised to hear is an actor, not the British Prime Minister), a young fan who very quickly declares his love for the TV personality. Despite Daniel barely functioning, Alexander is persistent and the two soon become lovers. As their relationship develops, Daniel begins to open up, revealing some of the past trauma that has led him to the depression and anxiety he now feels.
Steel is a difficult movie to write about, as you really want to talk about what happens at the end, but that rather gives the game away. That said, I’m not 100% sure if the ending is actually supposed to be a surprise, or whether you’re supposed to figure out what’s going on, with the denouement merely being confirmation.
I suspect it must be the latter, as otherwise it’s unlikely the film will work for you. Much of the movie is about metaphor and what is going on behind what you see and hear, with the characters often talking in an obviously loaded way, so that the surface often doesn’t fully make sense without an appreciation for the fact there’s more going on than you’re initially explicitly told. Indeed, there are chunks of the film that would be positively annoying and confounding unless you have at least an inkling of what you’re seeing.
All that said, it is a pretty watchable film. Although not as profound as it sometimes seems to want to be and with a tendency toward slightly soapy melodrama at times, it’s based around some genuinely interesting ideas and concepts, and it certainly takes its subjects seriously, which helps to give it a sense of heart and conviction that many movies lack. It also has great empathy for those suffering from mental illness and the after-effects of past trauma, even if sometimes it doesn’t always portray it completely convincingly.
On the romance side it’s pretty successful. There’s a real sweetness and tenderness to the relationship between Daniel and Alex, which start off quite spiky but slowly becomes more tender and passionate. It also gets pretty sexy at times, with some sensual scenes between the duo, and a real sense of chemistry when they’re in the sack. You may smile at the way the camera swings away or cuts every time it almost shows the guys’ goodies, but it’s still pretty hot, and helps add an extra layer of appeal to an okay film.
Click here to watch the trailer for Steel
Overall Verdict: Although Steel isn’t 100% successful and there are moments when some excellent ideas don’t work quite as well as you’d hope they would, it’s still pretty entertaining and interesting, with some decent performances at its heart. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty sexy.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
| Gay? | |
| Exciting? | |
| Dramatic? | |
| Funny? | |
| Romantic? | |
| Scary? | |
| Sexy? | |
| Family Friendly? |
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I was a ways into the movie before I understood what was happening and Alex made it enjoyable. The movie gets better the longer you stay with it. The background music though was annoying.
I think Alex was an angel that help daniel become more positive about his life. I say this as to what happened to Alex at the end…Get it……COYMAN
This movie is engaging though confusing in the beginning but very quickly the attentive viewer and astute listener will pick up the true relationship between Daniel and Alex. As a gay man with history of family and gay trauma growing up I think more gay men than not will empathize with Daniel psychological struggles to be ok in his own head. From that perspective it heightened the entertainment value reminding me how my sensitivities have sharpened and molded in a sharp man. It is also good beginner’s study of the male psyche in that brains though often masked by brawn can’t disguise the wounded spirit to understand, own, achieve and believe itself. Like brawn the brain needs purpose to breathe.
No matter its weaknesses, I loved the film thoroughly being a sucker for an endearing romantic gay story. Alexander, it should be understood is just another side of Daniel as the two do everything including visiting Daniel’s home where the tragedy of his life began. Alexander’s purpose is to help Daniel from his serious troubles. Alexander is a kind of angel and you should be able to figure this out before the ending proves it conclusively. Both Chad Connell and David Cameron are exceptionally wonderful looking men which does make the film very hot at times. I loved their chemistry together. I agree with one reviewer that the background music was very annoying and prevented hearing a number of pieces of dialogue.
Chad has what wet dreams are made of.