When it comes to shocking films, lots seem to think that the movies of today are as out there as its got.
If you look at some of the films being released in the 80s, however, they make Babygirl and Nosferatu look like child’s play.
One specific film that fits that criteria is an Al Pacino serial killer thriller with ‘graphic’ unstimulated sex shown in the film amidst a murder scene - a double whammy.
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Even though it left fans shocked at how the director got away with this, it’s easy to argue this isn’t even in the top five most controversial parts of this thriller.
The film is called Cruising, and it features Pacino as a cop who is asked to go undercover as a members of New York’s gay community.
Specifically, his character is asked to infiltrate New York’s gay male leather community which is being targeted by a serial killer.
No, really, that’s the plot.
Even if you ignore the casual plot point of police in the film beating a bartender half to death to coerce a confession (only for it to turn out he wasn’t the killer), the film has numerous more bizarre moments.
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One of these occurs in one of the murder scenes of the film in which a moment of unsimulated gay porn flashes across the scene.
It occurs at the exact moment the victim is stabbed, with one comment on a YouTube video of all the death scenes from the film saying: “Holy cr*p!!!!! How did [director William] Freidken get away with that!!!!???? Those are multiple frame of hardcore!”
Somehow the director, who also did The Exorcist, did get away it.
The film was based on a series of articles by journalist Arthur Bell about unsolved murders of gay men, though he later called for protests against the film.
Bell characterised Cruising as a 'snuff film', The Village Voice reported, and according to Friedkin, he wrote an 'extremely inflammatory' column about it and an interview encouraging LGBTQ+ people to 'do violence' - which Bell confirmed to The New York Times.
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This led to a series of frankly iconic protests of production, who feared that the film would be damaging to the LGBTQ+ community.
Protests ranged from reflecting light using mirrors to mess with production’s lighting, blaring loud music during filming, and a march of over 1,000.
While Pacino didn't have any concerns about the film at the time, he later revealed in his memoir, Sonny Boy, in 2024 that he felt the film was ‘exploitative’ of the gay community after having actually seen it in full.
He donated his check from the film and refused to promote it, saying in his book (via PEOPLE): “I took the money, and it was a lot, and I put it in an irrevocable trust fund.
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"I gave it to charities, and with the interest, it was able to last a couple of decades. I don't know if it eased my conscience, but at least the money did some good.”
He added that he wanted 'one positive thing to come out of that whole experience'.
Friedkin later told The Wrap in 2013 that the film wasn't 'the best foot forward' in terms of the gay right movement, however, he never intended it to be 'critical of the gays'.
Topics: Al Pacino, Film, TV and Film
Michael Slavin