Review of Cruising (1980) by Trent D — 18 Sep 2007

Eerie mood give's it quite a unique feel, however as the rumour goes Brian DePalma was originally supposed to direct this but did "Dressed to Kill" instead which is very strange as it is probably the only other thriller that this has the same feel as. Friedkin's intentions are really hard to work out, to be fair, you get the impression that there were a lot of important scenes involving Pacino's characters personal transition that were removed in the cutting room. It's a sham because in-spite of what some of the other reviewers have said, Pacino gives it his all in his one of his most bizarre performances (and this is a guy who has had a lot of great ones). I won't spoil the film but he's feeling one way, then suddenly the next scene he's saying in a reasonably relaxed tone "Something is happening to me". It seems at times like an unobjective voyueristic view at a certain side of homosexual life, other times it seems to condemn homosexuals altogether.

Also the majority of the dilagoue in the film has been clearly re-added post sync, which is a common practice, but usually background noises are added to balance out the mood. In this case the Sound Editor has left the soundtrack completely silent making you feel like you are watching an italian film that has been dubbed into english with no sound what so ever in scenes where heavy traffic is shown in the background but you can hear a persons dialogue fine. I get the impression it was all mostly post-synch because of the sound of the protestors and general background disruption, but it just looks really silly.

As was written elsewhere it some view the film as somewhat of a time capsule of the:

"Stonewall pre-AIDS era of decadence in gay culture that was commonplace in many major urban centers in the 1970s and early 1980s, and gay activists point to it as a historical film".

This is probably the most positive way to view the film, as a time capsule. Not great, but interesting.