It's been 39 years since the movie CRUISING was released. Poorly received by critics, making only a modest amount of money and surrounded by controversy from both the gay and anti-gay community it certainly stirred the pot in 1980. One would think that in those 39 years the movie would be less controversial but the fact is it remains so.If you've never seen the film it's a murder mystery set in the hard core S&M gay community of New York City at the time. Director William Friedkin says in the extras that he always saw it as a murder mystery and not about the gay community but others disagree. Gay men are being murdered, stabbed to death and even dismembered in various locations. Police detective Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) decides the best way to handle the case is to send someone in undercover.He recruits a young officer named Steve Burns (Al Pacino). The assignment is to infiltrate the S&M clubs and leather bars the victims once frequented and find as much information as possible. At first reluctant to take the job Burns changes his mind realizing that this could lead him to a gold shield and detective position bypassing walking a beat. He takes the job as well as the condition not to tell anyone about what he is doing. This includes his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen).Burns moves into an apartment in the gay community and begins making friends, first with next door neighbor Ted Bailey (Don Scardino). Through Ted he gains some information about the community as well as which clubs to frequent. Having not been exposed to what takes place there it's an eye opener for him as well as the uninformed viewer. Bondage, sexual acts taking place for all to see and rampant random sex are the norm here.As Burns begins to look into this lifestyle his character begins to change as well. There are moments when you're not quite sure just how far he's taken this assignment but nothing is seen or certain. It is affecting him though. When he gives Edelson a potential suspect he and the man are arrested, he is slapped by an imposing detective in a jock strap and the suspect is beaten as well. This is not what he expected either.Eventually the potential suspect is revealed but not before several possibilities are offered. Through it all the question of just who are these men and who is Steve Burns really are pondered. Their treatment of one another is called into question while at the same time their treatment at the hands of the police is also noted.As for the movie itself when I saw it on its initial release, even as a Friedkin fan, I was disappointed. It didn't feel like a complete movie and used far too little dialogue to propel the film. The cinematography and editing were fantastic but the story itself seemed to present such an unappealing worlds that it was difficult to remove oneself from it and pay attention only to the mystery at its core. It is by no means a pleasant film and none of the characters with the exception of perhaps Edelson and Ted Bailer are sympathetic. And Pacino, whose acting prowess is well known, feels like he's just not quite sure what way to go here.As I said the movie didn't do major business at the box office in spite of the fact that Pacino was coming in off of the success of AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, SERPICO and THE GODFATHER PART 2. While he had the clout to get this production under way Friedkin wasn't as hot at the time having just had two commercial failures with THE BRINKS JOB and SORCERER (two highly underrated movies in my opinion). Odds are the problem was the content of the film and the controversy surrounding it.The gay community was fearful of the film being released by feeling that it portrayed them all as this select group of S&M leather wearing roughnecks. They attempted to stop or slow down the production while it was being filmed and protested it. On the other end religious groups were opposed to the film for what they felt was promoting a gay lifestyle. Odd how both saw the film as a problem for completely opposite reasons.Arrow has done their usual wonderful job of making the movie not only accessible but in the best format possible. This is a brand new restoration in 4k from the original film negative, supervised and approved by writer-director William Friedkin. Extras this time are limited but important none the less for fans of Pacino, Friedkin or the film itself. They include an archival audio commentary track by Friedkin, "The History of CRUISING" an archival featurette about the making of the film and its origins, "Exorcising CRUISING" another archival featurette looking at the controversy surrounding the film and the original trailer.One word of warning I would offer to those considering picking this up is to be well aware of the subject content of the extreme gay community this movie depicts. It doesn't present it in the most favorable light which would account for the gay community that objected at the time. It is indeed graphic even by today's standards. Know this going in.
Cruising Scaricare Film
The controversy over this supposed anti-gay film has stirred debate for nearly 40 years. The slaying of gay men part of the leather and s&m scene is violent and ugly, a view of just one small portion of the community. I've seen it through various gay pride and marches, Folsom Street Fair, visits to Silver Lake near downtown Los Angeles, and various Halloween parades. It does exist, and this is part of its story in the gay naked city.While cop Al Pacino comes off a little brusk, he's just out to do his job, even if disguising himself as a gay man is repulsive to him. He's not homophobic, just not interested in that sort of thing. But in spite of his reluctance and longterm relationship with Karen Allen, he's gotta do what he's assigned to do. So it's off to the gay leather bars of midtown Manhattan and the woods of Central Park.The murders are brutal, showing the fear of the victim before they are killed. This lifestyle isn't just about the gays; perversion crosses over and this just uses a small portion of the gay community to tell its story. It's just not a very good movie. Don Scardino plays an effeminate gay man who befriends Pacino, and it's obvious that Pacino likes him in spite of their differing sexualities. As a gay man, I look back on it as a warning against promiscuity, and with the AIDS crisis just around the corner, it's a bit prophetic.
In New York, the ambitious police officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is assigned by his Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) to work uncover in the gay S&M underworld to seek out the serial-killer that is killing and severing the members of gays since he has the same appearance of the victims. Steve has the objective to be promoted to detective and get his golden shield and Capt. Edelson is the only one in the department who knows Steve's assignment. Steve does not tell to his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen) his mission and he needs to learn the behavior of this community. During the investigation, Steve is affected by the discoveries in this new world, but Captain Edelson does not want him to quit his assignment. In the 70's and 80's, Al Pacino was among my favorite American actors with his magnificent performances. "Cruising" is an original movie that discloses part of the society unknown to straight persons like me: the gay S&M world of New York in the late 70's. I have seen this film at least four time and today for the first time on DVD, and my greatest question is how far a person would go to be promoted. Steve Burns dreams on having a golden shield and when he has his chance, he accepts a dangerous psychological mission to find the serial-killer that is killing gays and affects his personal life and his relationship with his girlfriend. The conclusion is one of the most ambiguous that I have ever seen in an American movie, when Steve looks at his image on the mirror. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Parceiros da Noite" ("Night Partners")
Matching pace with Tom Cruise (TC) as he powers his way through the project was just one of the elements that made work on Edge of Tomorrow exciting. Quite a bit of the action of this film, directed by Doug Liman and co-starring Emily Blunt, takes place on the battlefield. The brief is that Cruise, Blunt and their squad would be airdropped onto a beach in the middle of a huge battle and have to fight their way inland. The battlefield was full of shell-hole craters, mud and water. Multiple cameras, simultaneously stationary and handheld, would cover action that would include partially improvised, seven-way dialog that ranged from quiet muttering to full-scale yelling. Oh, and they would be wearing full-body armor, called Exo-suits, with weapons mounted on them and constructed from dozens of parts with several articulated joints.
Marya E. Gates is a freelance film and culture writer based in Los Angeles and Chicago. She studied Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley, and also has an overpriced and underused MFA in Film Production. Other bylines include Moviefone, The Playlist, Crooked Marquee, Nerdist, and Vulture.
But the exchange is likely to make waves upon the film's release Friday, with each of Disney's tiny steps toward LGBT representation in recent years having been slammed at home and abroad -- and not just by conservatives.
Jeremy Blacklow, director of entertainment media at LGBT advocacy group GLAAD, said in a statement to AFP the "heartwarming exchange" was "a powerful addition to a big budget film that will reach audiences around the world."
The late, great Bill Paxton (sob) stars in this gripping drama about three people and a bag of cash that falls from the sky. Not figuratively; it's discovered in a small plane that crashed in the woods. Will someone come looking for it? If not, all they have to do is divvy up the money, right? If only it were that simple. Directed by Sam Raimi, but with the full flavor of a Coen-brothers noir, the 1998 film also stars Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda. 2ff7e9595c
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