"And of course in hindsight, I realize that Cruising was not the best foot forward that you can put as an argument for acceptance by hetero-sexual people of the gay lifestyle. It was never meant to be emblematic of anyone's lifestyle. But it did exist. And to me it was a background for a murder mystery, period." 
                                                                   --William Friedkin, 
                                                                   director of Cruising.
 
     The release of the 1980 movie Cruising on DVD is an important one; not primarily because it stars Al Pacino or because it's a riveting, en-grossing film, but more for its historical significance and cultural value.
 
     Based on the novel by Gerald Walker(and which itself was inspired by actual events), Cruising tells the story of the murder and mutilation of several gay men in New York City, and the cop who loses his under-cover cherry in order to seek out the killer(and thereby skip the patrol beat to jump to detective). Pacino plays police officer Steve Burns, who along the way becomes more sympathetic to the treatment of gays by his fellow officers and also unwillingly begins to question his own sexual orientation.
 
     When it was originally filming in New York, Cruising came under massive and virulent protests from the homosexual community. This was most obviously based on the depiction of the Burns character in the book, who is a racist and homophobe, than any actual evidence the film would slander the community. Gays organized protests, hurled bottles and other objects at the crew while filming, used reflecting mirrors to shine lights onto the scenes and used airhorns and whistles to ruin dialogue. In the film Cruising however, the racism and homophobia of the character was excised, nor did William Friedkin ever intend to include it.
 
     Looking back on the circumstances of the film's shoot, it's hard to understand what exactly the fuss was about. Only ten years earlier, Friedkin had directed the movie The Boys in the Band, which Time mag-azine had declared to be "a humane, moving picture". Only five years prior to starring in Cruising, Pacino had filmed Dog Day Afternoon, another fact-based movie, in which he played a bank robber trying to obtain money for his partner's sex-change operation. How could anyone come to the conclusion that two obviously liberal-minded men could suddenly throw together a film which might spew hatred laced invectives toward the gay community?
 
     To some degree, gays couldn't be blamed for their reaction. Cruising hit theaters just past the decade mark of the Stonewall riots and feel-ings were understandably still raw. Friedkin was a director of note, and to this day The Exorcist(1973) still stands as his seminal masterpiece. If he had chosen to leave in Burns' phobias and racism, it would have been brutally damaging to their community. When Cruising bowed, it was forced to run with a disclaimer at the opening: This film is not intended as an indictment of the homosexual world. It is set in one small segment of that world which is not meant to be representative of the whole.
 
     Indeed, the film takes pains to fully establish and stay true to the disclaimer. When Burns is selected by Captain Edelson(Paul Sorvino), he is told frankly that two of the killer's victims "were not in the main-stream of gay life. They were into heavy leather, S&M. It's a world unto itself". Later on, when a suspect is mistakenly collared and brutally questioned by the cops, Burns tells Edelson "I didn't come on this job to shitcan some guy just because he's gay". Hardly hate-mongering stuff. Conversely, with all its images of guys making out, whipping each other, subliminal scenes of anal penetration mixed in with the stabbings and of course a Crisco fisting in a bar, it is easy to understand why many homosexuals at that time might have felt that if Cruising is a heterosexu-al person's first introduction to any aspect of the gay life, they might come out of it a bit more disapproving than when they entered. Of course, being one of the more enlightened heterosexuals in the audi-ence, I tend to feel only people who were already bigoted would see this as justification for their hatred. Fortunately for all of us, bigots only comprise a small amount of the human gene pool.
 
     If it seems I'm giving a somewhat schizophrenic assessment of the pros and cons of Cruising, it's only because the movie itself is a study in duality. Pacino's Steve Burns is a straight man in a happy relationship with his girlfriend Nancy(Karen Allen). They have enjoyable yet uninspir-ing sex. Their life together is nice but altogether normal and bland, yet neither realizes it. As Steve begins his immersion into the gay subcul-ture and learns more about what certain trinkets and behavorial patt-erns within it mean(there is an interesting scene where Powers Boothe, of all people, schools him on what the wearing of different colored handkerchiefs represent), sex with Nancy becomes a little rougher and more confusing for him. He at first stumbles and makes mistakes which almost mark him as a cop when he begins his assignment; yet once he's become more comfortable slipping into his role, we see tears in his eyes when Nancy fellates him...he's obviously fantasizing about the service being performed by a man. While unaware of what his assignment is, it's not long after that Nancy notices that Steve has changed somehow, and decides they should take a small break from one another. Steve readily agrees, and we the audience know that he's secretly relieved.
 
     As always, Pacino's performance is bold, raw and powerful. There's a great scene at an elevated subway stop where Steve Burns argues with his captain, trying to admit that he's undergoing "changes" without totally revealing what's going on. He simply tells his captain that he feels he can't do the job. Without much dialogue, Sorvino manages to convey the impression that he is studiously listening to the young man whom only he knows is undercover. He's aware of what Steve means, but can't allow his fears to get the best of him. The hunt to catch the killer must come first.
 
     As far as the murder investigation goes, Cruising is only marginally about that, actually. The story of how Steve goes about investigating and attracts the killer's attention suffers more from the use of conven-ience and coincidence in screenwriting--things happen not because they grow out of the organic flow of events, but because the script simply needs for them to happen--which is unusual for a story written by William Friedkin. Cruising at its best is more of a character study: how one man certain of his sexual identity becomes immersed in a world he knows little about, and the experience changes him--for better or worse, who can say? It's up to the viewer. Face your beliefs.
 
     There are gems throughout the picture, if you watch closely. Powers Boothe as a store owner is one. Another is a young Ed O'Neill(Married With Children) as a detective in Burns' division, as well as a brief appearance by James Remar(The Warriors, Dexter) who plays the abu-sive lover of Burns' next door neighbor Ted(Don Scardino), and who Burns mixes it up with as the cop develops a brotherly relationship with the abused partner. As written, Ted is also a highly realistic character, and one of the things which dispels the myth of Cruising as a film intended to slight the gay community.

     There have been some modifications made to Cruising for its release to DVD, although no explanation is given. For one, the disclaimer which used to run at the top of the film has been taken away and replaced with a sideways crawl of the film's title. When Steve Burns gets high in a bar and begins dancing with a guy, there has been an unnecessary blurr-ing effect added. Also at the end, where Steve looks into the mirror at the audience, originally there was bar music playing over the scene. Inexplicably, other music now plays and we are shown the New York skyline. For my money, everything should have been left untouched. While not one of the greatest films ever made in the history of cinema, Cruising is still can't-avert-your-eyes entertainment. It is also an import-ant film, both culturally and historically. It represents a time and feelings not too far removed from present day as we might like to think, and for Pacino's performance alone, it is certainly worth adding to your collection.
 
 
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DVD Review: Cruising
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Director William Friedkin.