Cruising (1980)

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.

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

William Friedkin, Gerald Walker (novel)

Stars:

Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

A serial killer brutally slays and dismembers several gay men in New York's S&M and leather districts. The young police officer Steve Burns is sent undercover onto the streets as decoy for the murderer. Working almost completely isolated from his department, he has to learn and practice the complex rules and signals of this little society. While barely seeing his girlfriend Nancy anymore, the work starts changing him.

---

Plot Keywords:

gay | s&m | police | undercover | subculture | 

---

Taglines:

Al Pacino is Cruising for a killer.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Friedkin's Cruising

Filming Locations:

140 Claremont Avenue, Manhattan, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CiP - Europaische Treuhand AG, Lorimar Film Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James A. Contner's first job as a director of photography. William Friedkin gave him the opportunity after having been impressed with his work as a camera operator.

---

Goofs

The medical examiner discusses the serrations in the wounds of a murder victim but the killer did not use a serrated knife on him.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

The film only opens with the title in large letters, across the screen. It is only at the end where the filmmakers are credited.

---

Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Lions Share"
Performed by The Germs
Written by Darby Crash and Pat Smear
Produced by Jack Nitzsche

User Reviews

a question of taste

This is a FRIEDKIN movie. Consequently, it is soulless, dark and physical. There are no heroes, the range goes from unclear/mixed up/tortured souls/loonies to the dephts of hell. It is also highly interpretative, you can not expect a logical script and a "I did it" smile or a "walk towards the sun" type of ending. So, it's a question of taste if you like his movies or not. I DO. I very much doubt that Pacino or Sorvino regret making this film. It is riveting. For one, characters are not even gray, they are a mystery. Sorvino's character, for instance is so blank, that you even wonder if he cares about anything, including Burns' fate. Pacino's character is pretty ambitious, but other than that he is completely controversial. Although he shows some kind of goodness (towards his neighbor, for instance), the ending even kinda questions that (was it because he had sexual intentions with the guy or that he just wanted to do some good?). Also, he sometimes feels overwhelmed by the undercover job ("I don't know if I can do this") but then he starts to adapt. One of the possible ideas of this movie is: you dance with the devil and then you start to like it. In any case, it leaves conclusions to the viewer. The atmosphere and especially the music are truly amazing and original. 9/10