Review of Cruising (1980) by Simon D — 26 Jan 2009

Crusing is a William Friedkin film released in 1980 starring Al Pacino. I'd never heard of Cruising before. Well I guess it has less cult status than a Godfather, a Scarface or a Serpico. Pacino stars as an undercover cop tracking a serial killer that stalks his prey in New York's homosexual underground. Pacino's character is chosen to go undercover by his boss (played by Paul Sorvino) due to his physical similarities with the victims. Pacino moves out from his girlfriend's place into a gay neighbourhood and then begins to live at night and go to let's say "specialist" clubs or what they call "leather bars". The work becomes very hard for him and as the killings continue he is given carte blanche by Sorvino to hunt down the murderer and stop him at all costs.

Pacino carries the film very well and he is a dark and enigmatic, which helped stay far away from all the homosexual stereotypes. He is empty of emotion and is does not comfort the viewer. He is not a nice guy. The punk music, the night club scenes, the grim locations as well as the eerie use of the camera allow the film to surpass the clichés. There are some moustached men and guys wearing police hats - but remember the film was made in 1980.

I read that gay protestors tried to sabotage the filming of Cruising by making noise at shooting locations. The film was perceived as anti-gay and many also protested the release of the film. It is true that the S&M and sexual desire is nearly all that is shown of the gay community in Cruising. Apparently the extras used in the bar sequences were asked to act as they would normally act in gay bars but to tone down sexually-oriented activities because of the likelihood these acts would give the film an "X" rating. I also found out that Friedkin's original cut was 140 minutes long and had to be "censored" due to ultra-provocative content. I thought the "censored" version (105 minutes) was weird! This film would have never been released nowadays.

Besides Pacino, the weirdness and uncertainty is what makes Cruising a success. The night sequences and orgies make you feel uncomfortable, the punk music creates a tense atmosphere and the viewer is continuously wondering who is who. Everyone looks alike. Even the killer with his sunglasses looks like Pacino. The film certainly has a raw feeling to it, which makes it very difficult to watch for I guess those viewers who are more used to conventional cinematography with nicely-framed shots.

The downside I'd say to Cruising is the missing half hour, which must have been hard work for the editing room. As a result, there are some gaps and this left me wondering. Moreover, Pacino finds the killer quite easily and by chance. Maybe his hunt could have been more developed too?