Since I talked about Forced Entry (1973), it's a no-brainer that I cover Shaun Costello's other outrageous 70s filth fest, the enema-centric XXX oddity, Water Power.

Inspired in part by Scorsese's immensely successful Taxi Driver (1976), and by real-life criminal Michael H. Kenyon who was nicknamed "The Illinois Enema Bandit". Kenyon would commit armed robberies against women, where they would be tied up with rope and given an enema. After being arrested, he pleaded guilty to six counts of armed robbery and was sentenced to six to twelve years in prison for each count, but was never charged for the enema assaults. Kenyon was paroled in 1981 after serving six years.

The film has quite an interesting production history, it was financed by Star Distributors; the porno outfit of the DeCavalcante crime family, the real-life inspiration for the DiMeo family from HBO hit, The Sopranos. Director Shaun Costello was reluctantly tasked by Sid Levine at Star to produce an "enema movie" for Robert DiBernardo, a Capo in the DeCavalcante family. An alleged attempt to make a quick buck off the back of the "Illnois Enema Bandit" story featured in a magazine. DiBernardo later caught up with Costello to back-peddle somewhat; claiming he didn't want to see it, know anything about it, or to have anyone know he was involved with it.

Costello's speedy production effort; rolls of 16mm, four days, and a total budget of $16,000 went down the drain. Water Power opened to "empty houses wherever it played". It was shelved after two years of distribution, until someone at Star got the idea to re-release the picture under a different directors name.
Attaining a huge degree of success with the likes of Deep Throat (1972) and The Devil in Miss Jones (1973), along with helping to usher in the era of "porn chic", Gerard Damiano's name was "acquired" through Gambino ties. DiBernardo made a request to the Columbo family to borrow it; this seems to be the start of the confusion as to why Gerard Damiano's name is attached to promotional materials and appears on certain prints of Water Power.

Re-released with 15 minutes of cutting room floor footage now reinserted to buff up the runtime, Water Power hit theatres again with an 86 minute version. The film ran unsuccessfully for another year before eventually being pulled and shelved. It was later released again this time in Europe and Japan through DiBernardo's connection to "The Walt Disney of Porn" - Ruben Sturman, where it incredibly reached some height of success.

In 1986, Robert DiBernardo was the target of a federal investigation for selling child pornography, and was shot in the back of the head by Gambino hitman Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano at the behest of John Gotti.

Starring the inimitable Jamie Gillis; and a supporting cast of some of the greatest names from the Golden Age of Porn; Eric Edwards is cast as a fellow kink-freak, decked out in a doctors garb who's eager to perform an enema on Jeanne Silver in a sex club. Water Power also marks the adult film debut of Jeanne, who in the same year would star in her own movie/quasi-documentary Long Jeanne Silver (1977), directed by porno progenitor Alex de Renzy. Marlene Willoughby portrays a faux-nurse who assists Edwards in his procedure. C.J. Laing is a tough female cop, unenviably tasked with baiting the bandit. Gloria Leonard and Sharon Mitchell both have minor roles as a hostess and prostitute (respectively) in the kink club, the Garden of Eden.



The plot is relatively simple, but worthy of discussion; Burt (Jamie Gillis) is a New Yorker with a proclivity for kink. No longer satisfied by his regular stroke books or whatever is on TV, he grabs his telescope to check-in on the object of his desire, and soon-to-be primary victim, his Air Stewardess neighbour (Clea Carson).
Burt descends from his squalid loft apartment to the seedy streets of NYC in search of a new kick. He visits a sex club; the Garden of Eden, there he's easily persuaded by the hostess (Gloria Leonard) and her low introductory offer: $10 for 15 minutes with Eve (Sharon Mitchell). Though visibly bored with Eve, Burt spurts and Eve leaves after his incessant questioning over the club's "specials". Burt returns to the hostess to further inquire about the "specials", quickly learning that they provide everything from B&D, S&M, infantilism, to showers; "both golden and brown", crossdressing, and high colonics. The latter being the one to pique Burt's interest. The following scene is pivotal, as we learn how far Costello and crew are willing to go and the character of Burt is forever changed by this experience. He's allowed to sit in on an enema being performed by The Doctor (Eric Edwards), aided by The Nurse (Marlene Willoughby) on a disobedient patient named Pamela (Jeanne Silver).

"Pamela is an uncommon girl, therefore I think she needs an uncommon enema." - The Doctor (Eric Edwards)

Edwards' intonation during this scene is marvellous and there's some really choice lines of dialogue with Edwards' character passionately divulging a grandiose history and explanation of the enema. He states hilarious and memorable phrases like "Bardex inflatable nozzle" and "cleanse the body of all vile humours" with such sincerity and so matter of factly it's impossible to suppress laughter.



Burt leaves the club in a dizzied state, irrevocably changed by experiencing the ultimate orgasm brought on by only witnessing the procedure. He arrives home with a changed outlook, aggressively shoving his older spank mags onto the floor, and some new "reading" material taking pride of place, a magazine dedicated to enemas; Water & Power, proclaiming "now we're talking, fuckin' enemas that's where it's at," He checks in on the object of his desire again, only to see her bonking her troglodyte fella (Leo Lovemore). Overpowered by his new-found pathology, Burt's opinion of his love interest is dramatically changed, deeming her to be dirty, but Burt knows how to make her clean again. He breaks into her apartment and rapes her at gunpoint, before forcibly administering her with an enema. Ordering her to get in the bathtub on her "fours like a dog", Gillis begins masturbating to completion over her buttocks as she starts to eject a chunky brown liquid. The effect is obviously faked as it doesn't come from her anus, but it still makes a messy spectacle.

This kind of crime doesn't go unnoticed and before long we're introduced to the cop who's put in charge of the case, Detectcive Jack Gallagher (John Buco). Incredibly he's pulled from the homicide squad by his captain (Philip Marlowe), specifically to catch the enema bandit. Gallagher is none too pleased and sees this as something of a demotion, so the captain partners him with Detective Irene Murray (C.J. Laing), who's taken a personal interest in the case.

In the next scene, Burt's apartment buzzer begins to blare, he rushes around attempting to find a suitable hiding place to stash the enema kit, finding the perfect place to be in the toilet, no less. Unbelievably we learn that Burt has a girlfriend, Barbara (Crystal Sync), with whom he has a short argument before screaming at her to get out of the apartment. This is a character detail that raises so many questions, given his mental stability and sexual "interests". Does she know about his stalking and predatory nature?, as there's black and white pictures of his neighbour plastered to his apartment walls.
From here on out, Burt packs a rucksack with a six shooter and an enema kit and embarks on a crusade against these "dirty bitches" with plans to "clean them out."



"What started as a simple act of vengeance has mushroomed into an addiction." - Burt (Jamie Gillis)

Like Forced Entry, the film is remarkably well put together; there are some skilfully framed shots, you can really see Costello put thought and effort into his work. It also features a sidesplittingly demented Taxi Driver-influenced diary voice-over by Gillis.

Burt is something of a corrupt and vengeful Travis Bickle of the colon; sans taxicab, avec enema kit. Costello playfully screws with the audience by juxtaposing a scene where sisters, Candy (Barbara Belkin) and Ginger (Susaye London) are dabbling in lesbian incest get caught in the act and brutalised by the bandit, with a consensual "love" scene between the two cops. The editing flicks back and forth between the two acts seemingly occurring at the same time, in different parts of the city, and I don't think including an act of anilingus was lost on anyone, nor is the fact that Gillis appears to be suffering from pink eye, something which can be seen clearly in the stalk sequence of the sisters.

During the film's climax there's a scene with C.J. Laing and Gillis that goes for broke, and proves why Jamie was one of the best performers in the biz. With C.J. gagged and restrained in a bathtub, Gillis administers an enema and begins to masturbate, as the water begins to jettison from Laing's puckered hole directly onto the head of Jamie's cock he ejaculates. A true professional.



I told a chap at work about this movie fairly recently and I don't think he immediately caught on that it was a hardcore flick. Anyhow, I later found out from a colleague that he had watched it, and he'd said to her that he didn't think it was going to be like "that". My other colleague told me she had made it clear to him "in future do not watch any of the films James suggests or talks about". I suppose it's fair advice for the less adventurous moviegoer.

You may be right calling me crazy (among other adjectives) for giving this 5 stars, but I fucking love this, and I've watched it more times than I like to admit. It's such an filmic oddity chock-full of absurdities, and despite the subject matter this doesn't come across anywhere as near as heavy as Forced Entry, since nobody is murdered, but the scenes of Gillis menacing women are still unpleasant, but isn't that the point? Performances across the board are great, and given the production, plot, and themes covered, the entire cast looks as though they're having a great time making one of the silliest and smuttiest films ever committed to celluloid. Water Power is proof they sure don't make 'em like this anymore.



For further reading, more information, and where I quoted Costello, click here.