Cruising (1980)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

William Friedkin (written by)
Gerald Walker (novel)

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Al Pacino is Cruising for a killer.

Plot:

A police detective goes undercover in the sleazy and underground gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is murdering numerous gay men with S&M tactics.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | S&M | Undercover | Police | Cruising

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Steve Burns
Paul Sorvino	...	Capt. Edelson
Karen Allen	...	Nancy
Richard Cox	...	Stuart Richards
Don Scardino	...	Ted Bailey
Joe Spinell	...	Patrolman DiSimone
Jay Acovone	...	Skip Lee
Randy Jurgensen	...	Det. Lefransky
Barton Heyman	...	Dr. Rifkin
Gene Davis	...	DaVinci
Arnaldo Santana	...	Loren Lukas
Larry Atlas	...	Eric Rossman
Allan Miller	...	Chief of Detectives
Sonny Grosso	...	Det. Blasio
Ed O'Neill	...	Det. Schreiber (as Edward O'Neil)

Also Known As:

Cruising (West Germany)
William Friedkin's Cruising (USA) (closing credits title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1980-2000) | Finland:(Banned) (cut) (1981-2000) | UK:18 (cut) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | France:-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Portugal:M/18

Filming Locations:

Badlands - 338 West Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

CiP - Europaische Treuhand AG

Trivia:

James A. Contner originally wanted to shoot the film in black and white, as he felt it would fit the look of the S/M world.

Goofs:

Continuity: Steve Burns is in a patrol car with his fellow detectives and points out a suspect. He tells them that the man's name is Skip, but does not know his surname. But in the previous scene the barman tells Burns the suspect's name is Skip Lea.

Quotes:

Stuart Richards: How big are ya?
Steve Burns: Party size.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Lump

Sadly under-appreciated

CRUISING is one of those films that you either love or hate. You either love it for Al Pacino's best performance as a cop since SERPICO or its exploration into a completely different subculture. You either hate it for its disturbing imagery or supposed negative stereotypes of homosexuals. I really think that this film is one of William Friedkin's best movies and it has too much negative publicity.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this film, Al Pacino plays a New York City cop who goes undercover in the gay subculture, in particular, the world of heavy leather and S&M bondage in order to catch a serial killer murdering gay men. As the film progresses, the job seems to consume Al Pacino's character, consumes him to the point where it seems like he is questioning his own sexuality, leading up to an epilogue that is best left to be interpreted by the viewer.

CRUISING is probably one of the most disturbing movies ever made. The viewer will see the inside of some of the gay S&M bar that Al Pacino visits to capture this killer. You will see images in these bar that I, as a heterosexual (but not homophobic) male, would rather not see in real life. When we learn more about the killer of the movie, it can easily be compared to Norman Bates in PSYCHO. William Friedkin, better known as the director of THE FRENCH CONNECTION and THE EXORCIST really shows of his craftsmanship in this movie, and he really does build up the suspense. And check out the punk rock soundtrack. Whether or not this is a film that should be viewed, I guess it's the viewers decision.