IMDb > Cruising (1980)
Cruising
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Cruising (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   12,675 votes »
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Popularity: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
William Friedkin (written by)
Gerald Walker (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Cruising on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 September 1980 (France) See more »
Genre:
Crime | Mystery | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
Al Pacino is Cruising for a killer.
Plot:
A police detective goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
5 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(150 articles)
Cannes: William Friedkin to deliver Cinema Masterclass
 (From ScreenDaily. 4 April 2016, 4:28 AM, PDT)
Round-Up: Neca’s Life-Size Slimer Foam Replica, Hellhole Blu-ray / DVD Update, Gaming Heads’ Bioshock Statue
 (From DailyDead. 26 March 2016, 8:01 AM, PDT)
Weekly Rushes. 2 March 2016
 (From MUBI. 2 March 2016, 7:25 AM, PST)
User Reviews:
One of the Most Ambiguous Conclusions of an American Movie See more (138 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
Michael Aronin ... Det. Davis

James Remar ... Gregory

William Russ ... Paul Gaines

Mike Starr ... Patrolman Desher
Steve Inwood ... Martino
Keith Prentice ... Joey
Leland Starnes ... Jack Richards
Robert Pope ... DaVinci's Friend

Leo Burmester ... Water Sport
Bruce Levine ... Dancer
Charles Dunlap ... Three Card Monte

Powers Boothe ... Hankie Salesman

James Sutorius ... Jack (voice)
Richard Jamieson ... Spotter
Jimmie Ray Weeks ... Seller (as James Ray Weeks)
David Winnie Hayes ... Bouncer
Carmine Stippo ... Bartender (as Carmine Stipo)
James Hayden ... Cockpit Coke Man (scenes deleted)
Todd Winters ... Tugboat Mate
Robert Carnegie
Sylvia Gassel (as Sylvia Gassell)
Dennis Shea

Henry Judd Baker ... Tough Cop
Larry Silvestri
Kevin Johnson
Lawrence Lust
Louie Grenier
Penny Gumeny
Burr DeBenning
Ray Vitte
Mike Barbera
Joseph Catucci
Bob Duggan (as Robert Duggan)
Dan Sturkie
Linda Gary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kirsten Baker ... Jogger (uncredited)

David Daniel ... Shirtless Male (uncredited)
Christian Daugherty ... Hustler #2 (uncredited)
Mark Stern ... Cockpit Patron (uncredited)
Tieg Thomas ... Bartender (uncredited)

Directed by
William Friedkin 
 
Writing credits
William Friedkin (written by)

Gerald Walker (novel)

Produced by
Burtt Harris .... associate producer
Jerry Weintraub .... producer
 
Original Music by
Jack Nitzsche 
 
Cinematography by
James A. Contner (director of photography) (as James Contner)
 
Film Editing by
Bud S. Smith  (as Bud Smith)
M. Scott Smith (re-issue)
 
Casting by
Louis DiGiaimo  (as Louis Digiaimo)
 
Production Design by
Bruce Weintraub 
 
Art Direction by
Edward Pisoni 
 
Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller 
 
Costume Design by
Robert De Mora  (as Robert deMora)
 
Makeup Department
Bob Grimaldi .... hair stylist (as Robert Grimaldi)
Robert Norin .... special makeup effects artist
Allen Weisinger .... makeup artist (as Allan Weisninger)
 
Production Management
Burtt Harris .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan Hopkins .... first assistant director
Robert E. Warren .... second assistant director (as Robert Warren)
 
Art Department
Gene Anderson .... assistant property master
Barry Bedig .... property master
Stan Graham .... scenic artist (as Stanley Graham)
Carlos Quiles Jr. .... construction coordinator
Jimmy Raitt .... property master (as James Raitt)
Bruno Robotti .... scenic artist
 
Sound Department
Charles L. Campbell .... supervising sound editor
Louis L. Edemann .... sound editor
Richard C. Franklin .... assistant sound editor (as Rick Franklin)
Athan Gigakos .... adr mixer: Sound Shop (as Athan Gigiakos)
Robert Glass .... sound re-recordist
Chris Jenkins .... sound re-recordist (as Christopher Jenkins)
Robert Knudson .... sound re-recordist
Aaron Levy .... sound re-recording mixer (remastered version)
Kim H. Ornitz .... sound mixer (as Kim Ornitz)
David Pettijohn .... sound editor (as David A. Pettijohn)
Bruce Richardson .... sound editor
Norman B. Schwartz .... dialogue editor (as Norman Schwartz)
John A. Amicarella .... assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Regina Mullen .... adr assistant (uncredited)
John Roesch .... foley artist (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Enrique Bravo .... camera operator
Gene Engels .... gaffer
Billy Miller .... key grip (as William Miller)
Gary Muller .... assistant camera
Hank Muller .... assistant camera (as Hank Muller Jr.)
Josh Weiner .... still photographer
Scott Rathner .... additional second assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Dennison .... wardrobe supervisor
Robert Dean Jackson .... wardrobe supervisor (as Dean Jackson)
 
Editorial Department
Donah Bassett .... negative cutter
Jere Huggins .... assistant film editor
Ned Humphreys .... assistant film editor
Larry Rovetti .... color timer
 
Music Department
The Cripples .... music performer
Willy DeVille .... music performer
Bill Evans .... music engineer
The Germs .... music performer (as Germs - G.I.)
Egberto Gismonti .... music performer
John Hiatt .... music performer
Mutiny .... music performer
Rough Trade .... music performer
Madelynn von Ritz .... music performer (as Madelynn Von Ritz)
John Beal .... composer: trailer (uncredited)
 
Other crew
George Davis .... secretary to producer
Carmine Foresta .... location manager
Sidney Gecker .... script supervisor
Sonny Grosso .... technical advisor
Edward Iacobelli .... teamster captain
Mark Johnson .... production executive
Randy Jurgensen .... technical advisor
Toni St. Clair Lilly .... secretary to the director
Jennifer Ogden .... production office coordinator
Lucille Smith .... auditor (as Lucille Cannon)
Michael Weintraub .... production assistant
Paul Bateson .... consultant (uncredited)
Darryl Peck .... production assistant (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"William Friedkin's Cruising" - USA (closing credits title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA | West Germany
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Argentina:18 | Australia:R18+ | Finland:(Banned) (cut) (1981-2000) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1980-2000) | France:-16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating)
Filming Locations:
140 Claremont Avenue, Manhattan, New York, USA See more »
Company:
CiP - Europaische Treuhand AGSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Brian De Palma really wanted to direct this film but his producers could not obtain the rights to the material, so he made Dressed to Kill (1980) instead.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The close up of the last body, you can clearly see his heartbeat in his neck for a few seconds.See more »
Quotes:
Patrolman Desher:C'mere. I wanna show you my night stick.See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Cinema Snob: Can't Stop the Music (#8.37)" (2014)See more »
Soundtrack:
When I Close My Eyes I See BloodSee more »

FAQ

What's the deal with the big black guy in the jock during the interrogation scene?
Who murdered the red headed neighbor (Ted Baily) at the end of the movie? Was it the jealous roommate/boyfriend Gregory?
At the end of the movie, right after Capt. Edelson is in the murdered neighbor's apartment, we are shown from behind a tall guy in leather of similar appearance to the killer heading into a gay bar. What was that scene all about?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful.
One of the Most Ambiguous Conclusions of an American Movie, 19 October 2012
Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In New York, the ambitious police officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is assigned by his Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) to work uncover in the gay S&M underworld to seek out the serial-killer that is killing and severing the members of gays since he has the same appearance of the victims. Steve has the objective to be promoted to detective and get his golden shield and Capt. Edelson is the only one in the department who knows Steve's assignment.

Steve does not tell to his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen) his mission and he needs to learn the behavior of this community. During the investigation, Steve is affected by the discoveries in this new world, but Captain Edelson does not want him to quit his assignment.

In the 70's and 80's, Al Pacino was among my favorite American actors with his magnificent performances. "Cruising" is an original movie that discloses part of the society unknown to straight persons like me: the gay S&M world of New York in the late 70's.

I have seen this film at least four time and today for the first time on DVD, and my greatest question is how far a person would go to be promoted. Steve Burns dreams on having a golden shield and when he has his chance, he accepts a dangerous psychological mission to find the serial-killer that is killing gays and affects his personal life and his relationship with his girlfriend. The conclusion is one of the most ambiguous that I have ever seen in an American movie, when Steve looks at his image on the mirror. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Parceiros da Noite" ("Night Partners")

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (138 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Cruising (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Crisco? Do tell... Sulaimone
Black cop with jock strap dpwrwlf
Pro-gay? ace-150
The killer's 'voice' MiketheMechanic
Blu ray? JackForrester
Song question. daverindone
See more »

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