cruising

SYNOPSIS- Cruising

A dated and hilarious time-capsule, or
vile and tasteless homophobic trash?
Either way, you'll never forget it.

REVIEW

This hyperventilating police thriller
follows straight cop Al Pacino as he
goes undercover (as a Greenwich
Village homo) to catch a serial killer
that preys on gay men.

Set in the leather bars, cruising areas
and sweating, pulsating discos of the
time, we witness Pacino change from a
seemingly well-adjusted heterosexual
cop to a sexually and criminally
suspect one.

The lurid and inarticulate depiction of
gay life, as well as the notion that
contact with gays could lure a man into
their web, infuriated gays at the time.
Today, long after the fury has died
down, the film proves to be a
fascinating if ridiculous glimpse into
gay life - albeit Hollywood's version of
gay life.

Having lost its power to offend, the film
is now part of queer film history and a
testament to how a frightened
Hollywood treated a disenfranchised
minority.