if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Honestly, Cruising isn't that good of a film. That's it. I guess there's a reason that I never saw this particular Pacino film until yesterday. You can give this one a miss.

Al Pacino would've been better off in saying no to the project because, the movie didn't have the feel for me of being a good movie. The reason i say that is, the storyline lacked in due to it being all over the shop. I honestly thought Pacinos character would appear at the beginning in order to, investigate this homophobic crime case and then pretty much deciding to pretend to be a gay hooker. However it concentrated on two drag queens and two police officers having sex in a police car. Among the other cast, I thought it didn't concentrate on the main characters as much, it was just pure baloney.Wouldn't call this one of Al Pacinos best movies in fairness......

Cruising (1980): Dir: William Friedkin / Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino: Disturbing and sexually graphic thriller about a search for the killer of several gay males whose body parts are found in a river. Al Pacino plays Steve Burns, a cop who resembles the victims and is assigned to go undercover to seek out the killer. Director William Friedkin details the film with insightful elements of the gay and leather lifestyle including a scene where he learns what various colored bandannas mean in what pockets. Pacino plays Burns as someone shocked at what he witnesses at these bars but he takes several risks that lead to potential suspects. He grows frustrated and alienated from his regular life. He is also disgusted with the police brutality stemmed from homophobia. Paul Sorvino's role as police chief is more standard issue with barking orders, issuing interrogations and convincing Burns to remain on the case. Karen Allen plays Steve's girlfriend who feels the emotional distance when her boyfriend cannot explain the nature of his case. Richard Cox plays a suspect whom Burns follows after breaking into his apartment. Don Scardino plays a struggling gay playwrite who befriends Burns. The sexual lifestyle showcased here is graphic and certain acts are downright disturbing to watch but it does point to the hostile world such sexual orientations go cruising into. Score: 8 ½ / 10

Cruising is one of the most controversial films in the last 40 years, up there with Straw dogs, Clockwork orange, and Natural born killers. The film follows police officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino) who has been assigned by Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) to go undercover into a gay S&M clubs to find a serial killer who has been murdering men after having sex with them. The film has many graphic scenes of Pacino in these bars observing men engaging in various sex acts. Pacino gives a solid performance as a cop in over his head, who can't quite make out how he should feel after spending night after night in these clubs. After several weeks undercover, Burns becomes emotionally and physically distant from his girlfriend (Nancy Allen). Because of the nature of being undercover, Burns can't disclose what he is experiencing, seeing, feeling, etc. There are strong hints that Pacino might be experimenting sexually with some of the men in the bars he has frequented and that there might be more then one killer. The movie is extremely ambiguous about the identity of the killer (or killers) and the ending only leaves you more mystified. One of the controversies of the film was that there was 40 minutes of film that was censored and cut out. When director William Friedkin wanted to add the deleted 40 minutes several years later when the film was released on DVD, but the footage was missing. Friedkin has had several explanations on what exactly was in the footage. He has claimed it was just more footage of gay sex in the s&m bars and other times that there was also some scenes suggesting who the killer may or may not be. You have to give Pacino credit for taking on the role even if he probably wasn't the best choice. (Gere had been offered the role but passed). Gay rights groups were justifiably outraged that one the first movies about homosexuals would be a film about a gay man who is so repulsed about his own sexuality that he murders the men he has sex with. Another controversy was the perceived inference that the S&M scene is common among gay men and that they spend their nights partying and having indiscriminate sex. I don't really believe the latter was true, but you can understand why film was so controversial.