Cruising-1980
Director William Friedkin
Starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen
Scott’s Review #1,469
Reviewed March 9, 2025
Grade: B+
Cruising is a 1980 effort that brought the LGBTQ+ community into mainstream cinema at least for a brief moment shortly before HIV/AIDS changed its image and trajectory.
The film was derided by critics and gay rights protesters who believed it stigmatized them.
Decades later, Cruising has become more accepted and even admired by some, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a film most community members have heard of, which has made its mark in cinema history.
William Friedkin, famous for directing The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), writes and directs the film, loosely adapting it from a novel by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker.
The story is about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly the men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. A psychopath is scouring New York City gay clubs and viciously torturing and stabbing gay men to death.
Resembling the victims physically, Detective Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is asked to wear leather attire and frequent the city’s hardcore clubs to lure the killer.
As Steve becomes immersed in club hopping, he begins to identify with the subculture more than expected. Meanwhile, he behaves distantly around his girlfriend, Nancy (Karen Allen), the police force’s homophobia becomes apparent, and the killer remains at large throughout one hot summer.
Initially, Richard Gere was slated to star, but Pacino ended up with the role.
Pacino, being Pacino, gives it his all in an uneven script and unclear character motivations. The ending is exceptionally muddled and peculiar, leaving an unsatisfying feeling, while I also somewhat admire its ambiguity.
Dusting off this relic was an absolute pleasure. It gave me a glimpse into the LGBTQ+ leather scene of long ago, with authentic New York City gay clubs and clubgoers.
Cruising also features a variety of exterior NYC locales, such as Columbia University, the Meatpacking District, and an opening view of the Manhattan skyline.
Though too young to remember the scene being showcased, I do remember traveling into Manhattan to go to work with my father as a very young boy, and the dangerous city I was always warned about.
Friedkin and cinematographer James Contner exceptionally depict New York City in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The gritty, crime-ridden streets capture the time, as in similar films Taxi Driver (1976) and Gloria (1980).
I also adore seeing the clubs and bars from an LGBTQ+ perspective, though I’m unsure if non-LGBTQ community members would appreciate this aspect of the film.
Nonetheless, fans of Pacino should add this to their list. While not on par with his most tremendous role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather series (1972-1995), he was in his prime before he started overacting and taking on inferior roles.
It’s also a damned good crime thriller!
Cruising reminds me of a Dirty Harry (1971) film, only set in NYC, particularly the killer. With a low and taunting voice and a fondness for teasing his victims before killing them, the similarities are apparent and work well.
The killer’s motivation is weakly explained in a flashback with his father.
Since we more or less see the killer’s identity early on, the film is not so much a whodunit until the final scene, when another character is found dead after the killer is apprehended.
Is the new killer Steve or the victim’s jealous boyfriend? Is Steve closeted? These questions are left unanswered.
The production is superior, and the glowing park scenes, with their shadows and insect sounds, only heighten the thrills and perils for the characters.
The film shows plenty of bare male asses, unusual for this time in American cinema, and dares to show plenty of simulated and apparent complete sex. Forty minutes of X-rated male-on-male action footage needed to be cut, in which Pacino may or may not have participated.
While the screenplay has gaping holes and the conclusion is less than satisfying, Cruising (1980) is a win in my book for showcasing an underrepresented group and taking me back to a fascinating time.
