Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Cruising

  • 19801980
  • RR
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
23K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,714
31
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:30
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
23K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,714
31
  • Director
    • William Friedkin
  • Writers
    • William Friedkin
    • Gerald Walker(novel)
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Paul Sorvino
    • Karen Allen
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Friedkin
  • Writers
    • William Friedkin
    • Gerald Walker(novel)
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Paul Sorvino
    • Karen Allen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 174User reviews
    • 140Critic reviews
    • 43Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 nominations

    Videos2

    Cruising
    Trailer 1:30
    Cruising
    Sneak Previews Season 2 Episode 19
    Video 28:40
    Sneak Previews Season 2 Episode 19

    Photos216

    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Al Pacino
    Al Pacino
    • Steve Burnsas Steve Burns
    Paul Sorvino
    Paul Sorvino
    • Capt. Edelsonas Capt. Edelson
    Karen Allen
    Karen Allen
    • Nancyas Nancy
    Richard Cox
    Richard Cox
    • Stuart Richardsas Stuart Richards
    Don Scardino
    Don Scardino
    • Ted Baileyas Ted Bailey
    Joe Spinell
    Joe Spinell
    • Patrolman DiSimoneas Patrolman DiSimone
    Jay Acovone
    Jay Acovone
    • Skip Leeas Skip Lee
    Randy Jurgensen
    Randy Jurgensen
    • Det. Lefranskyas Det. Lefransky
    Barton Heyman
    Barton Heyman
    • Dr. Rifkinas Dr. Rifkin
    Gene Davis
    Gene Davis
    • DaVincias DaVinci
    Arnaldo Santana
    • Loren Lukasas Loren Lukas
    Larry Atlas
    • Eric Rossmanas Eric Rossman
    Allan Miller
    Allan Miller
    • Chief of Detectivesas Chief of Detectives
    Sonny Grosso
    • Det. Blasioas Det. Blasio
    Ed O'Neill
    Ed O'Neill
    • Det. Schreiberas Det. Schreiber
    • (as Edward O'Neil)
    Michael Aronin
    • Det. Davisas Det. Davis
    James Remar
    James Remar
    • Gregoryas Gregory
    William Russ
    William Russ
    • Paul Gainesas Paul Gaines
    • Director
      • William Friedkin
    • Writers
      • William Friedkin
      • Gerald Walker(novel)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    To Live and Die in L.A.
    7.3
    To Live and Die in L.A.
    Sorcerer
    7.7
    Sorcerer
    Rampage
    6.2
    Rampage
    The Panic in Needle Park
    7.0
    The Panic in Needle Park
    Scarecrow
    7.2
    Scarecrow
    Sea of Love
    6.8
    Sea of Love
    Body Double
    6.8
    Body Double
    The Local Stigmatic
    5.6
    The Local Stigmatic
    Thief
    7.4
    Thief
    Bobby Deerfield
    5.8
    Bobby Deerfield
    Revolution
    5.3
    Revolution
    The Brink's Job
    6.5
    The Brink's Job

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For research, William Friedkin worked with members of the Mafia, which owned most of New York City's gay bars at the time.
    • 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

      Steve Burns: Hips or lips?

    • 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.
    • Alternate versions
      UK cinema and 1987 video versions were cut by 54 secs by the BBFC. The 1997 Maverick Directors video release was cut by 39 seconds to remove subliminal shots of anal sex during the murder scenes (one of which appears in the film though heavily darkened) and to edit a pan shot of a gay bar interior and shots of a knife being traced over a bound victims body. Although the uncut version was shown by Sky TV the film was resubmitted to the BBFC in 2003 for a FilmFour showing and many cuts were restored apart from a 1 sec edit to remove the subliminal shots. For the initial release on UK DVD in 2008 all the cuts were waived.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The Last Married Couple in America/Cruising/Just Tell Me What You Want/Hero At Large/Saturn 3 (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      Three-Day Moon
      Performed by Barre Phillips

    User reviews174

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    One of the Most Ambiguous Conclusions of an American Movie
    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")
    helpful•25
    7
    • claudio_carvalho
    • Oct 19, 2012

    FAQ5

    • What's the deal with the big black guy in the jock during the interrogation scene?
    • 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?
    • Who murdered the red headed neighbor (Ted Baily) at the end of the movie? Was it the jealous roommate/boyfriend Gregory?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 15, 1980 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • William Friedkin's Cruising
    • Filming locations
      • Hotel St. James, 109 West 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lorimar Film Entertainment
      • CiP - Europaische Treuhand AG
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $11,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,798,718
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,814,523
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Al Pacino in Cruising (1980)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Cruising (1980) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.