The Eagle's Killer

Cruising is a 1980 crime thriller written and directed by William Friedkin, and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino and Karen Allen. It is loosely based on the 1970 novel by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly the men associated with the leather scene. The title is a double entendre, as "cruising" can describe both police officers on patrol and men who are cruising for sex. It was an international co-production between West Germany and the United States. Poorly received by critics when released, Cruising performed moderately at the box office. Pacino subsequently called the film "exploitative". The shooting and promotion were dogged by gay rights protesters who believed that the film stigmatized them as a community. The film, including its open-ended finale, polarized critics, but in the decades since its initial release, the film has developed a cult following.