Review of Cruising (1980) by Lou E — 06 Oct 2007

I saw this in the cinema back in the day. Sitting behind me was a smart-arsed teenage lad trying to impress his girlfriend. He was making comments about "poophtas" and whatnot during the first overtly gay scene up until the first plunge of the knife. After that there wasn't a peep out of him.

This is a pretty gruelling experience. The thing about it is that it works, and it takes you somewhere; not somewhere nice, but it's an undeniable experience.

What a bleak view of the world William Friedkin has. He's turned it into a few rivetting films and I believe he's a true artist (or at least was) but I wouldn't want to swap minds with him.

Deliberately made confusing so as to unsettle the audience even more, this is a vicious, visceral vicarious experience.