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Cruising (1980)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
8 February 1980 (USA)
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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. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Monkey Uncaged: The Ten Worst Gay Movies of All Time!
(From AfterElton.com. 13 October 2009, 5:59 PM, PDT)
Interview: Karen Allen and the Kingdom of Her Crystal Life
(From HollywoodChicago.com. 29 September 2009, 5:07 PM, PDT)
(From AfterElton.com. 13 October 2009, 5:59 PM, PDT)
Interview: Karen Allen and the Kingdom of Her Crystal Life
(From HollywoodChicago.com. 29 September 2009, 5:07 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Controversial Document of Its Time
more (103 total)
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) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
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.
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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.
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Quotes:
Stuart Richards:
Who's here? I'm here. We're here.
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Movie Connections:
References Golden Boys of the S.S. (1976)
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Soundtrack:
Heat Of The Moment
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (103 total)
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Viewed today, "Cruising" still elicits intense responses from both Gay and straight viewers alike. Mainstream Gays lament, as many protestors of the film at the time of its release, that it shows a homophobic image of Gay life, depecting them as sex-obsessed. Straights are put off by the frank look at the Gay sex "cruising" culture.
Interesting, however, some of the people involved in the Leather/SM subculture at the time this film was made have praised it for its accuracy of this particular lifestyle -- a pre-AIDS lifestyle concentrated on quick sex that was (and still is) pursued by a segment of the Gay community.
The film does not pretend to depict Gays as a whole. It is just a drama about a police investigation that uses the scene as a background and catalyst for an exploration into how one cop is affected by his work.
Not the greatest film ever made, but certainly a good springboard for discussion about the Gay community's politics, when one fully examines the controversy surrounding the film and the continued debate over public sex and body image in the community.
The strengths of "Cruising" are its use of locales and documentary-style cinematography, as well as the interesting performance from Paccino. In the end, it is hampered as a drama by problems with the narrative structure of the piece that seems to fizzle out in the last act, leading to an intriguing, but inconclusive, finish.