Cruising (film)

Cruising
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Friedkin
Screenplay by	William Friedkin
Based on	Cruising by Gerald Walker
Produced by	Jerry Weintraub
Starring	Al Pacino Paul Sorvino Karen Allen
Cinematography	James Contner
Edited by	Bud Smith
Music by	Jack Nitzsche
Production companies	CiP-Europaische Treuhand[1] Lorimar Film Entertainment[1]
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	February 15, 1980 (1980-02-15) (United States) August 25, 1980 (1980-08-25) (West Germany)
Running time	102 minutes[1]
Countries	United States[1] West Germany[1]
Language	English
Budget	$11 million
Box office	$19.8 million

Cruising is a 1980 crime thriller film written and directed by William Friedkin, and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino and Karen Allen. It is loosely based on the the novel by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly the men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. The title is a double entendre, for "cruising" can describe both police officers on patrol and men who are cruising for sex.

Poorly received by critics when released, Cruising performed moderately at the box office. The shooting and promotion were dogged by gay rights protesters who believed that the film stigmatized them. The film is also notable for its open-ended finale, which was criticized by Robin Wood and Bill Krohn as further complicating what they felt were the director's incoherent changes to the rough cut and synopsis, as well as other production issues.^[2]