Cruising (1980)
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Don Scardino
Primary genre: Crime
Secondary genre: Thriller
William Friedkin has made quite the directorial resume since he achieved the massive success of The Exorcist (1973). Alternating between various genres, he tackled supernatural horror, action thrillers, and neo-noirs. So why he was interested in adapting Gerald Walker’s Cruising (1970) novel about a gay serial killer is beyond anyone’s guess.
Yet like the master craftsman that he is, Friedkin (who also penned the screenplay) presents a story of a murderer who preys on masculine men of the BDSM variety. Taking place in an early-80s New York City, Friedkin shows the gay community from a different angle. Shot in real locations with actual locals (and their provocative attire) as extras, the places where a serial killer is prowling are not disco-happy and glitter-splattered settings but ooze masculinity; dark and bleak, these clubs are dungeons full of sweaty men cruising for anonymous sexual encounters which lead to Central Park or dodgy hotel rooms. James Contner’s cinematography does a great job to highlight these hookups’ asphyxia and erupted erotic intensity between men that no mainstream flick has managed to do.
“Hips or lips?”
To take this guy down, one must become what he desires, so Al Pacino’s undercover cop whose looks the killer targets, is being sent to flesh him out. The greatest actor of his generation took a bold step in this non-conventional role after his string of critical and commercially successful hits in the 70s. Pacino plays his character uber-straight boasting a naive understanding of what makes gay men in this particular community tick spilling a real nervousness too. When he dances with a guy who likes him (“I am with someone; Aren’t we all? Wanna dance?“), you can feel how uneasily Pacino feels physically venting his frustrations into power moves amidst a sea of sweaty men. This will be as close as you would see dear old Al tackling challenging material; playing Satan is a walk in the park in The Devil’s Advocate (1997) 17 years later.
Friedkin does not shy away from the depiction of erotic material, exercising no critique, a powerful move for an 80s movie. From parading potential suspects (all of whom hold various jobs) and victims, the manly banter is engaging (“Terrific. I’ve never made it with a Martian before“) and does not revolve solely around male fantasies for the human body. These are living and breathing individuals who happen to be gay. As much as campy advocates think the film stigmatized gays, it does quite the opposite, emphasizing a specific subculture’s way and depriving it of stereotypes. Pacino’s neighbor, Ted, for example, is well-mannered, writes a screenplay, and enjoys a good cup of coffee while his partner (a very young James Remar!) is a dancer at a theatre company, both stark contrasts to the night patrons who take part in nameless sexual episodes.
Like most of the director’s output, nudity and violence are plentiful, yet never at the expense of the story, which is filled with sharp social commentary. What makes the movie more fascinating is its unwillingness to paint the hero’s transformation as either good or bad. Is he bisexual? Is he attracted to the same sex? Does he hate himself for doing it? Such questions and more are crucial for Pacino’s descent into this underground world, opening up (in theory) repressed sexual possibilities. By the time we figure out what is happening, Friedkin goes a step further and hints at several things at once, still open to interpretation, suggesting perhaps that people act different in broad daylight with our real identity emerging during the night.
Due to its thematic content, Cruising is not for everyone. Its raw filter and presentation and its barely tolerable Nietzschean pessimism could shock most demographics. For others who desire to experience a decadent serial killer flick from a superb director at the top of his form, they may elect to see Cruising and discover Pacino’s wide acting range on an unflinching role.
Unflinching and uncompromising
+Friedkin’s atmospheric direction
+Dark side of NYC
+Different victim/killer dynamics
+Unapologetic
+Fascinating whodunnit mystery
+Pacino
-Too raw for mainstream audiences