Cruising (1980)
Director: William Friedkin
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Starting from a classic undercover premise (Pacino descends into Manhattan's SM gay underworld to track a psychopathic killer), and opening with some powerful moments, Cruising soon drifts into bloody Village People-type caricature, with Pacino overplaying his nameless angst as the script patently refuses to tackle the central issue - its hero's sexual ambivalence. The structure continues to loosen, and although Friedkin - like Coppola - has always had difficulty with endings, this one is so arbitrary it's as if he just gave up.Author: DP
User reviews of this film
-
- HaroldHaze said...
- Posted on Nov 11 2007 04:44 One of the most underrated films of the 80's, "Cruising" certainly deserves a second look. With its precise examination of a subculture, its haunting use of lighting, music & sound, and the subtle, transcendent manipulation of film noir flourishes, this is a work that stands as a major achievement from director William Friedkin.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- HaroldHaze said...
- Posted on Nov 11 2007 04:39 One of the most underrated films of the 80's, "Cruising" certainly deserves a second look. With its precise examination of a subculture, its haunting use of lighting, music & sound, and the subtle, transcendent manipulation of film noir flourishes, this is a work stands as a major achievement from director William Friedkin.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: William Friedkin
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino, Joe Spinell full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 106 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
To the letter
Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.
Mind over matter
David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.
Fool's gold
Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.
We are the championed
Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."
A history of violence
Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.
True romantic
James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.
Playing in the dark
MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.
Junk bonds
Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.



What do you think?
Post your review now