LA 399 (film)
A 1999 pornographic crime drama with science fiction elements.
LA 399 (also known under the alternative title *Freeway to Hell*) is a 1999 American direct-to-video science fiction film from Extreme Associates. Written by Charles Pinion and directed by Rob Black, the film blends crime drama with science-fiction elements. Its cast includes Evan Stone as Percy Blaine and Jasmin St. Claire as Tanya, a couple tasked by crime lord Tonino (Tom Byron) with delivering cocaine to mobster Alejandro Biscotti (Herschel Savage).
The plot follows drug dealer Percy Blaine, who cheats on his girlfriend, stripper Tanya, despite loving her. His boss Tonino, secretly obsessed with Tanya (he keeps a hidden shrine to her), orders Blaine to deliver cocaine to Alejandro. Blaine steals half the shipment and cuts the rest with baking powder before setting out with Tanya. Meanwhile, ex-government agent turned self-help guru Arthur Greedlove picks up female hitchhikers to experiment on with a "Brain Motivator" helmet, which scrambles their minds through intense sexual fantasies; he then abandons them in the desert. His latest victim is musician Lola Monarch. After Blaine and Tanya deliver the cocaine, Alejandro discovers the tampering and forces Tonino to have sex with Tanya while he tortures Blaine. Tonino later breaks down, confessing to Tanya, "I just wanna be a good guy." Tanya performs oral sex on the bound Blaine, then leaves. The next morning, Tonino drives Blaine to the outskirts of Los Angeles, forces him to dig a grave, and shoots him. Hitchhiking Tanya is picked up by Greedlove.
Production was initially set for co-direction by Black and Pinion, with Jamie Gillis and St. Claire co-starring, and filming to begin in late August 1999. Pinion left Extreme Associates before production and faked his death as a publicity stunt, sending messages that his pseudonym Charley Crow had been found dead in a San Fernando Valley pool. Black, liking the script, directed alone, stating, "The script [for L.A. 399] is good, damn good, so it's gonna get made. Charley would want me to make that happen." Filming shifted to mid-September. According to actor and executive producer Tom Byron, the film was reedited three times due to disputes with original editor Layne Parker, whom Byron called "a hack director, a horrible editor and a general piece of shit" who "didn't understand a simple concept" in editing.
Reception was mixed.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Rob Black
- Writer
- Charles Pinion
- Starring
- Jasmin St. Claire / Evan Stone / Herschel Savage / Tom Byron
- Narrator
- Evan Stone
- Cinematography
- Layne Parker
- Editing
- Junior Bonner
- Music
- Glennlyn
- Studio
- Extreme Associates
- Released
- 1999
- Runtime
- 135 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
LA 399 was initially set to be co-directed by Rob Black and writer Charles Pinion, with co-star Jamie Gillis and Jasmin St. Claire, and begin filming at the end of August 1999. Pinion left Extreme Associates before production began and, as a publicity stunt, faked his death by forwarding messages announcing that his pseudonym Charley Crow had been found dead in a swimming pool in the San Fernando Valley. Rob Black, liking the script, decided to direct the film on his own, declaring, 'The script [for L.A. 399] is good, damn good, so it's gonna get made. Charley would want me to make that happen.' Filming was moved from the end of August to mid-September.
The plot follows Percy Blaine, a drug dealer dating stripper Tanya, who is ordered by his boss Tonino to deliver cocaine to mobster Alejandro Biscotti. Tonino harbors a secret obsession with Tanya, keeping a hidden shrine to her. Blaine tampers with the shipment, leading to violent confrontations. Meanwhile, ex-government agent Arthur Greedlove uses a "Brain Motivator" helmet on female hitchhikers, scrambling their minds through intense sexual fantasies. The film culminates in betrayal, torture, and a desert showdown.
Reader's Guide
LA 399 is significant as a controversial entry in late-1990s American pornographic cinema, blending crime drama and science fiction with explicit content. Its production was marked by a faked-death publicity stunt by writer Charles Pinion and multiple reedits due to disputes with editor Layne Parker. The film received mixed critical reception: AVN gave it a score of 4/5, calling it 'schizoid' but praising its sex scenes and Tom Byron's acting, while Peter van Aarle of Cyberspace Adult Video Reviews expressed distaste for its themes of drugs and guns. Tom Byron won Best Supporting Actor (Video) at the 17th AVN Awards, where the film was also nominated for Best Video Feature. The film's legacy lies in its extreme content and the behind-the-scenes turmoil that shaped its release.
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