Cruising (1980)

Cruising is a 1980 psychological thriller film written and directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, about a serial killer targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the leather scene.

Poorly reviewed by critics, Cruising was a modest financial success, though the filming and promotion were dogged by gay rights protesters. The title is a play on words with a dual meaning, as "cruising" can describe police officers on patrol and also cruising for sex. The film is also notable for its open-ended finale, further complicated by the director's incoherent changes in the rough cut and synopsis, as well as due to other production issues.

Synopsis

In New York City during the middle of a hot summer, body parts of men are showing up in the Hudson River. The police suspect it to be the work of a serial killer who is picking up homosexual men at West Village bars like the Eagle's Nest, the Ramrod, and the Cock Pit, then taking them to cheap rooming houses or motels, tying them up and stabbing them to death.

Actors