Directed by:
William FriedkinScreenplay:
William FriedkinCinematography:
James A. ContnerComposer:
Jack NitzscheCast:
Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino, Joe Spinell, Jay Acovone, Barton Heyman, Ed O'Neill, James Remar, Mike Starr, Leo Burmester (more)Plots(1)
New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who is preying on the patrons of the city's underground bars. Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) tasks young rookie Steve Burns (Al Pacino) with infiltrating the S&M subculture to try and lure the killer out of the shadows but as he immerses himself deeper and deeper into the underworld, Steve risks losing his own identity in the process. (Arrow Films)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (2)
Cruising is a very strange film. I've seen William Friedkin's The Boys in the Band, from a decade earlier, and it didn’t impress me much. On the one hand, there is the nice and authentic atmosphere of an underworld of gay clubs, but on the other hand, there are many deaf spots and (at least for me) a WTF ending (I really didn't fully understand the ending). I certainly don't want trash this film, but then again, I won't sing any odes to it. In short, a very bold film for its time (actually, somewhere even for today), where the pros and cons balance each other in such a way that it gives a completely average impression.
()
On one hand, a perfect crime movie, on the other a homophobic, insight into the sleaziness of the gay community of 1980. Some scenes are a little too much (even though it could probably have been even worse), Friedkin is simply a very good director for these sequences not to affect the viewer, but for god’s sake, why did he decide to make something like this? Cruising was clearly a challenge for Pacino and he accepted it with a tenacity of his very own. Thanks to the very well handled ending, my lasting impression of this movie is I suppose positive, but never again. I can’t do this.
()
Gallery (98)
Photo © United Artists
![Cruising - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/691/159691241_ee10e9.jpg)
Ads