Friedkin is a very cool director but boy, did he drop the ball on this one. An abysmal, boring, ugly, non-exciting crime thriller that is everything but thrilling. I know Friedkin is very proud of the film but this did nothing for me, it just plods along very slowly with Pacino looking confused and sleepwalking in every shot. If S&M is your thing, well, that's your own fault. Worst scene, Pacino doing the crazy gay dance, unbelievable. Proceed at your own risk.

At a certain point you have to start viewing this as a comedy instead of some intense murder mystery that they were obviously gunning for. It's filled with so many ridiculous scenes that it's hard not to laugh. Gay people have never been portrayed as more barbaric, sex crazed or just plain weird before or since, I understand the protesting. Could've deleted Karen Allen from the movie and it would've been the same film but we have to remind the audience that Pacino = straight and not gay! rofl

Al Pacino is always great.

I was expecting much worse. Bruno before Bruno, but this wants you to take it seriously. Don't give this stupid movie the satisfaction.

Conflicting. A somewhat perfunctory, if interesting, thriller/mystery, that could be said to some extent to be homophobic - but, damn if Friedkin's evocation of late 70s NY isn't gritty as all hell, and as a complete sucker for that milieu, I can't help but like it more than most. Also, I can't imagine we'll see a mainstream movie featuring a major star, with such an unflinching portrayal of a radical sexual subculture, any time soon. They all but show a dude getting fisted in a bar.

56.125

Perplexing and odd, but undeniably watchable with a great atmosphere; Friedkin's trademark snappy editing & colour timing make it an enjoyable film.

I think this is pretty good. I think Friedkin maybe should've played this in a more De Palma, tongue-in-cheek manner. The masses could probably accept it easier that way.

"Cruising" is a pretty mediocre, mildly enjoyable thriller. It's interesting mainly as a glance into the 80's gay s&m scene. Not a fascinating or exciting one, though, probably because of Pacino being so stiff and straight. Or maybe it's Friedkin's direction that is too stiff and straight...

Friedkin is a great director, Pacino a highly capable actor. They were both staples of the New Hollywood phenomenon during the 1970s, and they approach Cruising with that gritty naturalist vibe of films like The French Connection and Serpico. The reason it doesn't entirely work is that Cruising is already a 1980s movie. A bit corny. At times silly. Often, the script seems to want to escape Friedkin and leap into the hands of Walter Hill. To be fun, for lack of seriousness. Maybe even a comedy.

Whether in spite of or because of being a Glenn Beck fever dream, genuinely haunting, and Friedkin's best movie.

after i watched the regisseurs comment to this film, i understood it :P

Passes the time.

My all-time favorite "Al Pacino gets slapped by a huge gay cowboy" film, it's an interesting thriller with a shockingly ambiguous ending. Some of the acting is mediocre (especially the beginning) but the movie really picks up once Pacino hits the screen.

What was once protested by gay rights groups during its filming is now a document of the times. An interesting look at S&M culture before the discovery of the HIV virus, Pacino is ironically the main weak link in the film. He appears quite uneasy throughout much of the movie and does not seem effective in the role. Despite this, the sound design, music, and overall aesthetics lend a gritty feel to the film that has been highly influential in later horror/crime films such as Seven.

Abysmal. One of the worst major films ever made.

A spectacular failure. Pacino is really acting, Friedkin's direction is fine, but the film's story is so silly, offensive, and poorly developed. The random scene involving the nude black cowboy slap is indicative of this whole movie's mindblowingly insane attitude.

Okay Movie