Al Pacino goes cruising for a killer in William Friedkin’s controversial 1980 drama
CRUISING (William Friedkin, 1980)
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25, 12 midnight
212-330-8182
www.landmarktheatres.com
We have a frightening confession to make: We first saw Cruising with our mother. Back in 1980, we would immediately see anything with Al Pacino in it; he had been the king of the ’70s, making such memorable films as The Panic in Needle Park, The Godfather, Scarecrow, Serpico, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and . . . And Justice for All. We even forgave him his one misstep, Bobby Deerfield. But as it turned out, the ’80s were not so kind to ol’ Al, save for Scarface. When we heard that Cruising was opening at a local theater, we didn’t care what it was about; it was rated R (after fighting off an X), so we couldn’t go without an adult, and our mother was more than game to see the latest Pacino flick, directed by William Friedkin, the mastermind behind The French Connection and The Exorcist. The controversial movie follows an ambitious cop (Pacino) as he goes deep — and we do mean deep — undercover into New York City’s homosexual S&M culture in the West Village in order to catch a serial killer. Cruising features cool and unusual city locations, and it also stars Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Don Scardino, and Joe “Maniac” Spinell. (And be on the lookout for such other familiar faces as James Remar, Sonny Grosso, Ed O’Neill, and Powers Boothe.) We actually can’t remember what we thought of the movie back then, and we haven’t dared go near it ever since. Perhaps it’s finally time. It will be playing at the Landmark Sunshine on Friday and Saturday at midnight. We strongly advise against going with your mother.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s tribute to the late Sidney Lumet continues tonight with two of the Philadelphia-born New Yorker’s greatest works, a pair of tense, powerful fact-based dramas starring Bronx native Al Pacino that helped define the 1970s, both onscreen and off. First up, at 6:30, is one of the most bizarre bank robberies gone wrong you’ll ever see, Dog Day Afternoon. Pacino stars as Sonny, a confused young man desperate to get money to pay for his boyfriend’s (Chris Sarandon) sex-change operation. But things don’t go quite as planned, and soon Sonny is leading the gathered crowd in chants of “Attica! Attica!” while his partner, Sal (John Cazale), wants a plane to take them to Wyoming and Det. Moretti (Charles Durning) is trying to get them to surrender without hurting anyone, primarily themselves. Dog Day Afternoon is a blistering, funny, biting commentary on mid-’70s New York as well as a fascinating character study of a deeply conflicted man. Following at 9:00 is another gritty, realistic drama, Serpico, with Pacino giving an unforgettable performance as an undercover cop single-handedly trying to end the rampant corruption that has spread like a disease throughout the NYPD. When his fellow officers and supposed friends turn their back on him, he is left on his own, vulnerable but still committed, risking both his career and his life to do what he thinks is right. Pacino is explosive in both films, playing two very different protagonists on different sides of the law yet similar in so many ways. “Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet” features three other Lumet films today, 1978’s The Wiz (10:30 am), 1968’s The Sea Gull (1:15), and 1988’s Running on Empty (4:00), while tomorrow’s schedule includes 1962’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (12:30), 1990’s Q&A (4:00), and 1981’s Prince of the City (7:15), the latter two followed by Q&As with cast members and real characters depicted in the films.