When New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who preys on patrons of the city's underground bars, rookie cop Steve Burns infiltrates the gay S&M subculture to try and lure him out of the shadows.
Steve Burns
Capt. Edelson
Nancy Gates
Stuart Richards
Ted Bailey
Patrolman DiSimone
Skip Lee
DaVinci
Det. Lefransky
Dr. Rifkin
Loren Lukas
Eric Rossman
Det. Blasio
Det. Schreiber
Det. Davis
Gregory
Paul Gaines
Patrolman Desher
Martino
Joey
RottenPop20 Dec 2025
6/10 Cruising has Al Pacino early in his career taking bold risks, and that alone highlights why he’s considered one of the best actors of all time. He was willing to go places in 1980 that most stars wouldn’t touch, stepping into subject matter that was still largely unexplored on screen. Even when it doesn’t work perfectly, that commitment is admirable.
The film’s production was famously delayed by protests, yet it still premiered on February 8, 1980, before hitting theaters nationwide on February 15. The backlash didn’t stop there. Protests followed the film into its release, and criticism came immediately. Even so, Cruising finished as the 36th highest-grossing movie of the year, pulling in $19.8 million at the box office. With a cast like this, it’s easy to see why audiences showed up.
Full review on Substack...
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Director
William Friedkin
Top cast
Al Pacino·Paul Sorvino·Karen Allen·Richard Cox·Don Scardino·Joe Spinell·Jay Acovone·Gene Davis