Cruising (1980)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

...are the basic ingredient who defines this film. protests, critics, ambiguity of script, Al Pacino responsability for a character who preserves influences from many others films remaining a challenge and something who propose the controversies as basic tool for understand "Cruising". lost in details, it is just a policier. in not the most familiar space. but interesting for the force of message, for the dedication of Al Pacino and, sure, for the portrait of a world who, for many, could be reduced at fiction.

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. This is easily without a doubt one of Pacino's worst movies not only is dumb and boring but it's disgusting and not in a way that you see someone getting stubbed but for the things that those people do in all those clubs if you thought that Jack & Jill was bad think again in what kind of a police department there's a black big dude with a cowboy hat that gets in just wearing his underwear slaps you and leaves? The last shot of the movie is Al Pacino looking at the mirror and watching the camera thinking why the hell did i agree to star in this crap? Cruising gets a D- and a 3 out of 10 yes it was that bad.

"Cruising" has William Friedkin directing Al Pacino as an undercover cop who immerses himself in New York City's underground gay S&M subculture in order to track a killer who is filleting gay men across Manhattan. Infamously protested by the gay community upon its release, "Cruising" is upfront and unyielding in its depiction of the leather subculture; Friedkin does not shy away from depicting raw sexuality anymore than he does candid violence, and it's no surprise that a film like this caused such an uproar in 1980. Opinions on the film are myriad and vary from interpreter to interpreter, and it's perhaps one of the most frustrating thrillers of all time because there are so many different ways in which we can make sense of it. Friedkin toys with the audience deliberately by employing various actors as the sinister killer, which in effect puts a damper on the murder-mystery plot arc and forces the audience to focus on the bigger picture— the devil is not in the details here.The film has been interpreted as an admonishment of gay S&M subculture, a prescient metaphor for AIDS, and an exploration of sexual repression and the ways in which that bubbles into violence. My theory on the film is more in line with the latter, and I find it impossible to take any definitive stance on the crosspatch of possibilities that Friedkin leaves us with in regard to "who" the killer really is— the fact remains that there is really no way way to make sense of it no matter how we attempt to piece it together. There is no resolve. Ultimately, all that we are left with is a series of senseless and vicious murders in an underground culture of men on the fringes of society. The cinematography shines here, and is perhaps the film's strongest suit amidst a narrative that irritatingly closes in on itself over and over again. "Cruising" is a photographic masterpiece full of phenomenal compositions, haunting murder scenes, and a very astute capturing of subculture, sex, and the nightlife of New York City. Friedkin's signature grit is in every frame, and combined with the borderline-nihilistic narrative, the final product is graphic and almost depressing. Al Pacino turns in a strong performance that is as ambiguous as the material itself, with a supporting cast portraying everyone from closet-case patrol officers to sassy drag queens and innocent abused lovers. All in all, while "Cruising" is perhaps one of the most ambiguous thrillers I've ever seen, I still feel it is culturally and social relevant, and worth seeing if for nothing more than the cinematography and the genius compositions on display. It's disheartening, disturbing, and offers us no answers, leaving us in a circular state of confusion; a who-dun-it without the dun-it. In the end, all I can definitively say about it is that "Cruising" shows us that the potential for violence bubbles underneath the surfaces of us all, and repression of any kind is ostensibly more dangerous than a knife itself. 8/10.

Cruising is one of those film oddities from the 1980's that is far more interesting to read about than it is to actually view. Comparatively, Silent Night, Deadly Night and Showgirls are the same way. Reading about the controversy they caused, the reactions they prompted, and the impact they left leaves a person more fulfilled than watching the actual product often does.Cruising was controversial as could be during its release in 1980. The film's portrayal of gay clubs and their patrons was deemed homophobic, and the film was criticized for having a narrow-minded look and attitude towards gay culture. Gay activists were offended, Christian-conservatives were offended, and I'm slightly offended because for a film bearing such meaty controversy, a relatively unexplored culture at the time, and boasting Al Pacino, this could've been such a treat.Instead, this is a film that's tonally all over the place, hints at subtexts and underlying ideas it never comes close to identifying or tying together, and feels incomplete all around. The film seems so set on shock value that it forgets other aspects to further fulfill its story. Maybe it's because I've been reviewing films for almost five years and occasionally feel like I've seen it all (and given the extremes films gravitate towards in current times) but Cruising's shock value seemed depressing minimal.Pacino plays Steve Burns, a rugged New York City cop tracking down a serial killer who is known to kill gays in the popular gay S&M community. In order to get into character and gain access to information within the gay community in a natural manner, Burns goes undercover as a gay man, frequenting local gay nightclubs around town dressed in black leather and suited up with slick latex outfits.The world of leather, seedy nightclubs, and homosexuality is portrayed about how you'd expect; dark, other-worldly, and often uncomfortable but not unrealistic. The booming bass of the club music and the exuberant sight of warm blue and black colors give the film's aesthetic something lively to look at. It's the scenes that take place outside of these clubs that are dreadfully tiresome and boring, turning in to your average suspense-thriller, a genre we kind of hope Friedkin would've done more toying with.Cruising has the original plot and the audacity to show us some pretty graphic scenes inside the gay club, but the suspense scenes lack any kind of a bite. The torture aspect of them is very slim and the entertainment factor is even lower. Pacino works with what he has (no pun intended), but even he occasionally looks cold and unfazed by this kind of repetitive material. The novelty of this picture is entirely rooted in the film's bloated controversy, and because of that, its reputation as an oddity from the eighties is probably the only leg it has left to stand on in present time.Starring: Al Pacino. Directed by: William Friedkin.