Review of Cruising (1980) by Jurgen B — 07 Jan 2010

This movie is a psychological thriller where the Al Pacino character, who plays a NYC cop, goes undercover and ventures into the seamy side of the gay nightlife culture in order to track down a serial killer of gays. It was made by the EXORCIST director and has his style throughout the picture.

Because it suffered from bad press and publicly condemned by the gay community at that time, it kinda came and went at the box office soon after its release. That's too bad because the movie, IMHO, didn't portray gays in a bad light, although the Al Pacino character seemed uneasy and confused about the identity he took on while undercover. Perhaps that's what turned a lot of gays off to this picture. However, the movie deserves a second look.