Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more

 

Cruising (1980)

Director: William Friedkin

Average user rating
2 reviews

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 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

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

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

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.