Director: William Friedkin
Screenplay: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino and Karen Allen
Country: United States
Running Time: 102 min
Year: 1980
Where does one begin with Billy Friedkin? He’s arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, creating masterpieces such as Sorcerer, The French Connection, The Exorcist, and To Live and Die in L.A., alongside cult favourites like Bug, Killer Joe and Jade. For me, there’s always been one film in his catalogue that stands out above the others. It might not be his best, it’s definitely not his most acclaimed but it’s never left my mind since my first viewing: Cruising.
It’s an odd one, because the film’s had a strange life on home media. I first discovered it through Arrow Video’s 2019 Blu-ray, which contained a re-edit of the film changing elements much to the ire of fans. Rumour has it that Arrow’s original Blu-ray was originally packed with countless extras that Friedkin wouldn’t approve for the release, and the same goes for that original theatrical release of the film.
Now that it’s making its UHD debut, a few years after Friedkin’s unfortunate passing, Arrow have went above and beyond restoring the film in 4K UHD from the original theatrical cut, with never-before seen bonus features from around the time their Blu-ray release was being prepped, alongside a handful of brand-new features to boot. There’s no way I could have turned down the opportunity to cover it for Blueprint: Review.
Cruising follows Steve Burns, a New York detective who goes undercover in the gay S&M/leather bar scene to track down a killer who’s targeting gay men. One by one, the bodies are piling up and the longer that Burns spends time undercover, the more he begins to uncover about himself. It was incredibly controversial at the time of its production, primarily because of the real world stories it was influenced by. Members of the LGBTQ+ community were uncomfortable with a film that would depict them as enjoyers of violence, and were worried that it’d result in hate crimes. Unfortunately, this would be the case for some sick individuals and forced Friedkin to open the film with a controversial disclaimer stating that Cruising wasn’t a depiction of the entire homosexual world, just a corner of it.
There’s no getting around the fact that Cruising was, and still to this day is, a controversial picture. Those who argue that it’s homophobic have every right to, as do those who see the film as a more empathetic look into the unfortunate murders that were the prime influence for the film. The one thing nobody can say is that Friedkin didn’t put 100% into the film. It’s an absolutely gorgeous picture, with each club sequence feeling energetic and looking stunning (particularly on UHD), and each kill scene being effectively disturbing as intended. People have compared certain sequences in the film to Italian giallo films, and there’s no scene more comparable than the porno theatre scene. There’s no understatement when I say that this could rank as Friedkin’s most disturbing effort.
It’s a tricky one to recommend, because I understand both sides of the coin. It’s uncomfortable, it’s questionable in the intent of Friedkin and the production as a whole, but there’s something unforgettable about the entire experience. As a thriller, it’s one of his most compelling for me, personally, and I always find myself hooked by every single minute, but your mileage may vary. For those who can stomach a film that almost aims to push buttons, but want to see one of Al Pacino’s best performances, in one of Friedkin’s best films, Cruising demands your attention. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though…
Film: 
Cruising releases on February 24th via Arrow Video on Limited Edition 4K UHD. Arrow previously released the film on Blu-ray in 2019, with a director-approved re-edit which made some controversial changes to the film. With this UHD release, Arrow restored the original theatrical version, making it available on home media for the first time. It looks unbelievable. I’m usually a fan of the UHD transfers that Arrow released but this is possibly in the top five UHD releases I’ve seen from the label, up there with the likes of Django. Also available on home media for the first time is the original mono audio, alongside the 2.0 and 5.1 remixes introduced for Friedkin’s home media revision cut. I viewed the film with its theatrical mono mix and thought it sounded incredible. It’s not going to blow people away who are expecting an Atmos mix, but for a film like this, the mono is perfect. All in all, this is a flawless presentation that floored me. The following extras are included:
2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
120-page perfect-bound collector’s book featuring articles from The Village Voice and The New York Times, essays from the film’s extras cast, an introduction from William Friedkin, and an archive interview with Al Pacino
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
DISC ONE – FEATURE & EXTRAS (4K ULTRA HD)
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English mono audio, 2.0 stereo, and 5.1
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Two archive audio commentaries by director William Friedkin, one solo and one moderated by critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode
Brand new commentary featuring original musicians involved with the soundtrack
‘Heavy Leather’ An alternate musical score by Pentagram Home Video
Deleted scenes and alternative footage
On-set audio featuring the club scenes and protest coverage
Censored material reels
Theatrical trailer, teasers, and TV spots
DISC TWO – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
I Want to Be the Curator, a brand-new interview with actress Karen Allen
Walking the Line, a brand-new interview with actor, film consultant, and former police detective Randy Jurgensen
Cut Offs, an interview with editor Bud S. Smith
Who’s That Guy?, an interview with actor Jay Acovone
Pounding the Beat, an interview with actor Mike Starr
Boy on the Bus, an interview with actor Mark Zecca
Mineshaft Memories, an archive interview with Wally Wallace, former manager of the Mineshaft
Breaking the Codes, a brand-new visual essay surrounding the hanky-codes featuring actor and writer David McGillivray
Stop the Movie, a short film by Jim Hubbard capturing the Cruising protests
The History of Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the film’s origins and production
Exorcising Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the controversy surrounding the film and its enduring legacy
William Friedkin’s BeyondFest 2022 Q&A at the American Cinematheque
Extensive image gallery featuring international promotional material, on-set sketches, and more
Three audio commentaries are included, two archival tracks with Friedkin (a solo track and the Arrow Blu-ray commentary with Mark Kermode), and a new track which is peculiar. Starting with the new track, it’s compiled from a series of interviews with people who worked on the soundtrack, such as Kenny Margolis, Shawn Casey O’Brien, Jonathan Hertzberger, Carole Pope and others who talk about the process of creating the music for the film. It’s an interesting commentary and one of the most unique tracks I’ve heard in quite a while. The 2007 solo Friedkin commentary track is a good listen, featuring him describing the influences of Cruising and what brought him to write and direct the film, although he’s his usual stubborn self throughout. It’s kind of amusing hearing him seem confused about the controversy that surrounded the film. It’s a good track. Finally, the 2019 audio commentary with Friedkin and Kermode is a delightful listen. It’s funny because it opens with Kermode describing the 2018 version of the film, which doesn’t contain the original opening statement, but this 4K UHD release actually contains that release, which made me chuckle. The pair dive into the film, its themes and controversy, but also highlight the re-edits and changes for the 2018 version, which don’t always correlate to the version presented on this release. It’s still a great track, and the best of the bunch.
An alternate musical score for the film, entitled Heavy Leather is included to watch alongside the film. Recorded in 2019, this electronic score adds a completely different vibe and atmosphere to the film, although viewers should know that it’s dialogue-free and is intended to be viewed that way.
There’s a section in the special features menu entitled ‘The Backroom’ which houses the deleted scenes, alternate elements, on-set audio and censored material.
There’s two deleted scenes, entitled Why Take the Job? and Night Stick, as well as additional footage from the porno booth scene. Fans looking for the rumoured deleted reels will be disappointed, but seeing unreleased footage from the film is a treat in itself. The first scene is presented in black and white, while the second is an audio only deleted scene with illustrations to accompany it. The additional footage from the porno booth scene is in black and white and doesn’t contain the ‘hardcore’ footage that Friedkin would include in the final edit of the film, but the sequence runs a little longer. All in all, some interesting stuff here.
The alternate elements are interesting, featuring disclaimer cards from France and Spain that played before the film for their releases, as well as French credits, alternate English end credits, and the alternate introduction that was previously featured on the 2006 Warner DVD and 2018 Arrow Video Blu-ray.
Four pieces of on-set audio are included, featuring the protestors, the club scenes, the killer’s voice and the apartment audio, alongside an interview called A Piece of Work, with the on-set sound mixer Kim Ornitz, running for 10 minutes. In the interview, Ornitz talks about his early career as a sound mixer and his time working on Cruising.
Two censored material reels are included, highlighting comparisons between what ended up in the film and the censored version of the film, as well as offering the censored reels to view standalone.
I Want to Be the Curator is a brand-new 38 minute interview with actress Karen Allen, conducted exclusively for this release. Allen dives into the strange nature of the production, with how little she was able to see the screenplay, her working relationship with Pacino and Friedkin and more in this in-depth interview.
Walking the Line is a brand-new 71 minute interview with actor, film consultant, and former police detective Randy Jurgensen, conducted exclusively for this release. It’s a behemoth of an interview and Jurgensen has plenty to say throughout his interview about his time consulting and starring in Cruising and being a former police detective. It’s another great interview.
Cut Offs is a 55 minute interview from 2017 with editor Bud S. Smith. Recorded in 2017, Smith talks about his working relationship with Friedkin, beginning in the 60s and continuing on for works like Cruising, The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A. It’s a fascinating piece that works as a look into the collaborative efforts between Smith and Friedkin that made the features work so well. Another great interview. This interview is subtitled in English.
Who’s That Guy? is a 14 minute interview from 2017 with actor Jay Acovone, who talks about working on Cruising. Hilariously, he mentions that he didn’t receive the script but assumed that the other actors did, which Allen touched on in her interview. It’s a fun, brief interview.
Pounding the Beat is a 47 minute interview from 2017 with actor Mike Starr, who dives into his time working on the film, how surprising most of the production was, the murders that influenced the film and more in this in-depth interview.
Boy on the Bus is a 37 minute interview from 2017 with actor Mark Zecca, who talks about his experiences exploring his sexuality in the 70s and 80s, visiting the Mineshaft and his time working on Cruising. Another great watch.
Mineshaft Memories is an archival interview with Wally Wallace, the former manager of the Mineshaft, conducted by historian and activist Jack Fritscher. Running for 34 minutes and conducted in 1990, this interview is focused on the notorious gay club that Cruising was based on and its owner. It’s a fun piece that offers an interesting look into the world of gay clubs throughout the 70s and 80s in the States.
Breaking the Codes is a brand-new visual essay, exclusive to this release by David McGillivray, diving into the ‘hanky-codes’ that LGBTQ+ members would use around the period that Cruising came out. It runs for 13 minutes and is quite an interesting piece.
Stop the Movie is a short film by Jim Hubbard that’s 11 minutes long, highlighting the protests during Cruising’s production. It’s viewable with optional audio commentary, where Hubbard recounts how the film came together. It’s an interesting watch.
The History of Cruising and Exorcising Cruising are two archival featurettes that are included on most releases of the film. Running for 44 minutes, the two featurettes look at the production and legacy of the film. The protests are discussed, Friedkin’s intentions with the film and more. If you owned the previous Arrow Blu-ray, you’ll know what you’re in for.
William Friedkin’s BeyondFest 2022 Q&A at the American Cinematheque is a delightful watch, running for 41 minutes and features Friedkin answering audience questions about Cruising. The questions range from the notorious deleted footage, the score, the cruising scene around the time that he made the film and more. It’s one of the best extras on the bonus disc.
A series of teasers, TV spots and a theatrical trailer are included.
An in-depth image gallery is also included.
Arrow’s 4K UHD release of Cruising is one of their most impressive releases in a while, restoring the rarely seen theatrical version of Cruising and presenting it on home media for the first time, with an unbelievable amount of special features that’ll please fans and those curious about the film. An incredible 4K restoration, the original audio for the first time on home media and a great physical media package, a phenomenal release that’s a must buy.
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