(1980, 102 min)
Country: U. S.
Director: William Friedkin
Studio: Warner Archive
Language: English
SYNOPSIS: Is Cruising a dated and hilarious time-capsule, or vile and tasteless homophobic cinematic trash? Either way you look at it, you'll never forget it.
REVIEW:
This hyperventilating police thriller follows straight cop Al Pacino as he goes undercover (as a Greenwich Village homo) to catch a serial killer that preys on gay men. Set in the leather bars, cruising areas and sweating, pulsating discos of the time, we witness Pacino change from a seemingly well-adjusted heterosexual cop to a sexually and criminally suspect one.
The lurid and inarticulate depiction of gay life, as well as the notion that contact with gays could lure a man into their web, infuriated gays at the time. Today, long after the fury has died down, the film proves to be a fascinating if ridiculous glimpse into gay life - albeit Hollywood's version of gay life. Having lost its power to offend, the film is now part of queer film history and a testament to how a frightened Hollywood treated a disenfranchised minority. And it's pretty hot in spots, too.
-- Raymond Murray, TLA Video (http://www.TLAVideo.com)
