Cruising (1980)

“Al Pacino is Cruising for a killer” [1]. New York City police detective Steve Burns goes undercover in order to catch a serial killer that is targeting gay men, mostly in an area consisting of gay S&M and leather bars in what is known as the Meatpacking District.

The film was directed and co-written by William Friedkin, who is probably best known for directing The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A. and The French Connection. The film was based upon the book Cruising by Gerald Walker, as well as a series of killings and mysterious deaths in the New York City gay community [2]. It was also based on accounts from a real police officer that went undercover in the gay community and what he went through [2]. They filmed in actual gay bars in New York City and the screen extras were the frequenters of those bars, they got paid as extras but they were doing acts that they normally would perform [2]. It shows a society that hadn’t been seen on the screen before, full of leather, guys half naked wearing jock straps, kissing and other sexual acts, and a scene involving someone being anally fisted.

The film had modest success earning around $19 million but received a backlash from the gay community and critics gave “tepid receptions upon [its] release” [2]. It was a controversial film when it came out because it involved the gay community and because of all of the real sexual acts taking place on camera. Friedkin also had to cut 40 minutes of the film in order to get an R rating, he said in an interview that the “sexuality was actual. It was not simulated. I took the film back to the ratings board 50 times before they would give it an ‘R.’ I know because it cost us $50,000—a thousand dollars a day—to work with the consultant from the ratings board whom we’d worked with in the past when we were faced with other films that had to be resubmitted for a mainstream rating” [2].

Despite its controversy at the time, it has had a cult following and has been reexamined after a length of time and is considered a very good piece of filmmaking. Pacino’s performance is on par with similar characters that he played in Serpico and Sea of Love, but didn’t receive any recognition because of the controversial subject matter. Paul Sorvino and Karen Allen both give great performances in the time that they appear on screen. Allen is best known for appearing in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sorvino is best known for appearing in Goodfellas. There are also small appearances from Ed O’Neil, James Remar and Powers Boothe.

Give this one a chance. It has a lot to offer. It captures an era and lifestyle that was real and it is an authentic view of it, from the point of view of both the gay community and the police. It deals with police procedural rules and the problems that hinder being able to open an investigation. It deals with police corruption and police brutality during questioning. It shows the psychological effects that happen to someone that has to go undercover and must conform to the new surroundings, isolated from what they once new. It also has a strong performance from Pacino, which is on par with his other great performances.

Works Cited

[1]	"IMDB," IMDB, 24 2 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080569/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 24 2 2016].
[2]	"thehollywoodinterview," thehollywoodinterview, 24 2 2016. [Online]. Available: http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/01/cruising-with-billy.html. [Accessed 24 2 2016].