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Cruising
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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.

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   4,496 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
William Friedkin (written by)
Gerald Walker (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Cruising on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1980 (USA) more
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
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
4 nominations more
User Comments:
a question of taste more

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)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Cruising (West Germany)
William Friedkin's Cruising (USA) (closing credits title)
more
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA | West Germany
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During murder scene where a man is stabbed to death on a bed, director William Friedkin edited in several near-subliminal frames from a gay hardcore movie that can clearly be seen in slow motion on DVD. more
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. more
Quotes:
Loren Lukas: Where you from?
Stuart Richards: Mars.
Loren Lukas: Terrific, I never made it with a Martian before.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Manhunt (2003) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Waterwheel more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
37 out of 43 people found the following comment useful:-
a question of taste, 14 February 2005
9/10
Author: dixxjamm from Romania

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

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Cruising (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I think the director's focus is NOT on who's the killer or how many... Meansnow
Black cop with jock strap thebrettburton
Who???? jimiphish
Pro-gay? ace-150
Can someone just confirm I got the ending right? leilamani
Undercover operation Phaleg36
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