#1 ·
I started this thread so we could talk about the movie—it’s airing this Thursday on HBO—but for some reason, the mods moved it over to the Movies on FTV section, where discussing films is actually banned... 👎
Al Pacino film series: Cruising, American film (18)
(CRUISING, 1980.)
HBO 2 10.24.2007 11:35 PM
Drama. New York City. After several bodies of gay men are found brutally murdered, the police realize they're dealing with a serial killer. Lacking any real leads, but noticing the victims share similar physical traits, Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) decides to turn an officer with a similar look, Steve Burns (Al Pacino), into an undercover detective to infiltrate gay circles. Burns takes the job, but without telling his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen) what's really happening, he moves out of their shared apartment and into a gritty building where his first neighbors happen to be gay. Burns immediately starts hitting the local hangouts, but the killer strikes twice more before the police can catch on. Finding himself backed into a corner, the detective begins to face a massive identity crisis...
Filmed during the twilight of the so-called New Hollywood era, the Hollywood crime drama "Cruising" remains one of the most controversial works in American cinematic history. Based on the novel by Gerald Walker, the film—written by and directed by William Friedkin—stands as a monument to the liberalism of 1970s American cinema, which would eventually give way to conservatism during the Reagan era. At the time, one of America's most prestigious filmmakers, Friedkin, tackled homosexual themes in a way rarely seen, drawing fire from conservatives who couldn't stomach the graphic scenes, and liberals who disliked the blunt portrayal of the gay community as something dangerous and sickly. To be fair, Friedkin didn't paint the gay population in rosy colors, but he was just as merciless toward his other characters—so instead of accusing him of homophobia, you might be better off accusing him of misanthropy. The legendary American actor Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scent of Women, Heat, Wake Up) delivers one of his most unusual and demanding performances in "Cruising." Due to its extreme violence and scenes of male intimacy that were quite provocative for mainstream cinema at the time, "Cruising" faced significant trouble with censors. This year, twenty-seven years after its premiere, it’s seeing a limited theatrical re-release and a DVD debut.
* Runtime: 98 min.
* Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino
* Screenplay: William Friedkin (based on the novel by Gerald Walker)
* Director: William Friedkin
Watched it for the first time recently—decent start, but the second half gets pretty messy and confusing, almost as if they had to rush to the finish line...
Al Pacino film series: Cruising, American film (18)
(CRUISING, 1980.)
HBO 2 10.24.2007 11:35 PM
Drama. New York City. After several bodies of gay men are found brutally murdered, the police realize they're dealing with a serial killer. Lacking any real leads, but noticing the victims share similar physical traits, Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) decides to turn an officer with a similar look, Steve Burns (Al Pacino), into an undercover detective to infiltrate gay circles. Burns takes the job, but without telling his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen) what's really happening, he moves out of their shared apartment and into a gritty building where his first neighbors happen to be gay. Burns immediately starts hitting the local hangouts, but the killer strikes twice more before the police can catch on. Finding himself backed into a corner, the detective begins to face a massive identity crisis...
Filmed during the twilight of the so-called New Hollywood era, the Hollywood crime drama "Cruising" remains one of the most controversial works in American cinematic history. Based on the novel by Gerald Walker, the film—written by and directed by William Friedkin—stands as a monument to the liberalism of 1970s American cinema, which would eventually give way to conservatism during the Reagan era. At the time, one of America's most prestigious filmmakers, Friedkin, tackled homosexual themes in a way rarely seen, drawing fire from conservatives who couldn't stomach the graphic scenes, and liberals who disliked the blunt portrayal of the gay community as something dangerous and sickly. To be fair, Friedkin didn't paint the gay population in rosy colors, but he was just as merciless toward his other characters—so instead of accusing him of homophobia, you might be better off accusing him of misanthropy. The legendary American actor Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scent of Women, Heat, Wake Up) delivers one of his most unusual and demanding performances in "Cruising." Due to its extreme violence and scenes of male intimacy that were quite provocative for mainstream cinema at the time, "Cruising" faced significant trouble with censors. This year, twenty-seven years after its premiere, it’s seeing a limited theatrical re-release and a DVD debut.
* Runtime: 98 min.
* Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino
* Screenplay: William Friedkin (based on the novel by Gerald Walker)
* Director: William Friedkin
Watched it for the first time recently—decent start, but the second half gets pretty messy and confusing, almost as if they had to rush to the finish line...