Review #1,113: 'Cruising' (1980)

Dogged by protests from the gay community over what many believed to be a negative depiction of their subculture and a final cut having to be hacked of a whole 40 minutes in order to secure an R rating, it is no exaggeration to say that William Friedkin's Cruising was one of the most controversial films to be released in the 1980s. Based on the novel by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, the project only interested Friedkin (after initially turning it down) when a man named Paul Bateson admitted to murdering members of the S & M community, having dismembered their bodies and tossed the remains into the nearby Hudson River. Friedkin worked with Bateson. a radiologist, on the set of The Exorcist (1973).

These murders are alluded to in Cruising, and ambitious cop Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is the man tasked with going undercover in the 'leather boy' community after a university professor is found tied-up and stabbed to death. Burns is young and handsome, and fits many of the victims' physical descriptions, and so is hand-picked for the job by police captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino). At first uncomfortable with a world where men openly 'cruise' for sex and wear different coloured handkerchiefs to signify their sexual preference, Burns nevertheless immerses himself in the role, deliberately keeping his wife Nancy (Karen Allen) in the dark about his work. As more victims turn up, the pressure on Steve to find the killer before they find him starts to affect him psychologically, especially when he starts to embrace the lifestyle.

Although there is still a stigma attached to Cruising 30 years after its release, the film has aged well. Claims that the film is negative and homophobic in its portrayal of the gay lifestyle seem somewhat misguided. While this is certainly a dark, pessimistic film, it never feels like the film is trying to convince you that what you are seeing is emblematic of the gay community as a whole. The scenes of writhing, sweaty men dressed in leather in the various clubs Burns frequents feel observational and free of judgement, with many real clubs and patrons employed for these moments. The friendship Burns chalks up with gay neighbour Ted (Don Scardino), who is in a fiery relationship with boyfriend Gregory (James Remar), represents gay life outside the S & M scene.

Controversies aside, the missing 40 minutes Friedkin was forced to leave on the cutting-room floor by the MPAA leave many questions unanswered. Cruising often feels like two-thirds of a complete film, with Burns' inner struggle with the stress and danger of his work, as well as the effect it starts to have on his home life, feeling particularly underdeveloped. With Burns inner psyche still a relative mystery at the end, the ambiguous ending is rather frustrating. Still, with no sign of the missing 40 minutes even existing anymore, Cruising works incredibly well as a mood piece. It has a grimy texture to it, as did many films to come out of New York in the 80s. Even if you aren't impressed by the twists and turns at the climax, the film still manages to crawl under your skin. It is also incredibly well performed, especially by Pacino, who was making some of the finest films of his career during this period.


Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Don Scardino, Joe Spinell
Country: USA/West Germany

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie