Porn Review: Tristan Taormino’s Rough Sex

Warning: This review is an adult film review that is highly explicit in nature. This review also contains visuals that are pornographic in nature and shouldn’t be viewed by anyone under the age of 18 (or 21 in your respective locale) or by anyone who is not comfortable with seeing or reading about adult films.

Tristan Taormino is the first adult film director that I had an immense curiosity about. While I am a woman (and feminist) who openly enjoys porn, most of my porn-viewing experience has been limit to your run of the mill, cue bad 80′s music and watching people merely go through the motions without looking like they are really enjoying themselves. Of what I’ve read of Tristan Taormino, an openly feminist porn director herself, her films are nothing like what you get in the mail for free when you buy a sex toy from a sex toy megashop.

I was immediately intrigued by Taormino’s Rough Sex, since the name really says it all. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing some intense, rough fucking? I know I do and I’m generally more into the BDSM world when it comes to not only my personal bedroom preference, but also my viewing pleasure. Rough Sex is comprised of a phenomenal cast, including Adrianna Nicole, Satine Phoenix, Francesca Le and Sasha Grey, whom I think is undeniably gorgeous and who I really, really wanted to see perform.

What sets Rough Sex apart from most porn out there, is that Taormino interviewed each woman before showing their scene, asking them what their fantasies were, what they wanted to capture on film and even who they wanted in the scenes with them. To give your actors total control over what they wanted this film to be and how they want to appear in it, and even who they see themselves acting in the scenes with is absolutely amazing and increases the chemistry the actors have significantly. To see people really enjoying themselves and each other is something anyone can get off to.

In the first scene, we see Adrianna Nicole and Marco Banderas. After Adrianna Nicole’s interview, we see her getting into the shower, inserting a butt plug before stepping in, as if she knows what is going to happen and instead of what we see next giving us the impression that it is nonconsentual, we know that by her doing this it is really something that is set up and completely consentual. Banderas walks into the house and sneaks up on Nicole in the shower. The scene is full of blowjobs, hair pulling, even a Hitachi Magic Wand and while I didn’t necessarily enjoy Marco Banderas, who to me is just a little too modelesque and metrosexual for my liking and who I don’t necessarily see as the “intruder” type, especially considering his sex face is a little crazy and funny looking, the two did have great chemistry on film.

The second scene features Satine Phoenix, whose ultimate fantasy is to get fucked while stranded out in the desert after her car breaks down. She is joined by Derrick Pierce, an extremely muscle-bound, tattooed and beautiful man. This scene surprised me, because while it left little to the imagination and we knew they would end up in a much-heated fuck fest, I was surprised and extremely turned on for Pierce to really go for it, slapping, pinching and scratching and holding very little back. Throughout the scene we see Satine Phoenix have welts rise up and scratch marks are left on her skin, which I loved. Another thing that really made this scene work for me is the amount of dirty talk that came from Derrick Pierce. He is surely someone I would love to check out in other films, as long as they are control-based scenes that he obviously does remarkably well.

But guys aren’t the only ones in control in Rough Sex. The third scene is a femdom scene by Francesca Le and Christian. Christian, who is the powerful, corporate drone by day comes home to his neglected wife and while he’s yelling at someone on the phone, she changes into a sexy piece of black lingerie, thigh-highs and gloves. In this scene, Francesca Le is degrading Christian and is chock-full of verbal commends. There is spanking and paddling, foot worship and a whole lot of spitting.

Scene four features Marie Luv and Julius Ceazher. The scene revolves around Marie Luv getting caught cheating on her boyfriend and he makes her pay via verbal degredation, slapping, a blowjob and very raw, intense passion and fucking. This is one of the best scenes of the entire film, just because of the amount of verbal attacks and solid chemistry.

The last scene is saved for Sasha Grey and Danny Wylde. This is a switch scene; at first Danny Wylde is seen with the upper-hand, choking Sasha Grey after playing pool and talking about rough sex. Sasha Grey divulges that one of her hard limits is breast slapping, but after they quickly get into the fucking, Danny Wylde slaps her breasts (after a rimjob given by Sasha Grey, which is incredibly, incredibly hot!) and that’s when the switch happens. Immediately noticing his mistake, Sasha Grey takes control, making him pay for his mistake. Several times in the scene we see the two smiling at each other, which shows the amount of chemistry between these two actors and really sells them as a couple who are enjoying themselves and who are enjoying the power being placed over them by each other.

Rough Sex is something for everyone and anyone who has ever had the intense need to be dominated or to dominate over a partner. It’s exciting, passionate, surprising, rewarding and incredibly hot. It’s porn you can actually get off to, instead of just ending up laughing at or wondering how someone got where and why are they all of a sudden fucking. This was my first look into the work of Tristan Taormino and I can’t wait to see more.

Thanks to for giving me the opportunity to review Rough Sex. Check them out to see all the other adult DVDs they stock!