‘Cruising’ Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – A Haunting Crime Drama From Friedkin & Pacino

Legendary director William Friedkin brings together Al Pacino, the 70s New York gay scene and a searing punk-rock soundtrack in this one-of-a-kind serial killer thriller, finally restored to its long-unavailable original theatrical version in 4K. New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who is preying on the patrons of the city’s underground gay scene. Young rookie cop Steve Burns (Pacino) is tasked with infiltrating the S&M subculture to try and lure the killer out of the shadows… but as he immerses himself deeper and deeper into the underworld, Steve risks losing his own identity in the process. Taking the premise and title from reporter Gerald Walker’s novel, Cruising was the subject of great controversy at the time of its release and remains a challenging and remarkable movie to this day, with Pacino’s haunted lead performance as its magnetic centrepiece. With hours of brand-new bonus features, including never-before-seen material from the deepest recesses of the studio archives, you’ve never seen Cruising like this.

For thoughts on Cruising, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Arrow Video presents Cruising with an A+ 2160p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film has been restored by Arrow Films with a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative carried out at Warner Bros. MPI in HDR10/Dolby Vision. The previous Blu-Ray release of Cruising in 2019 from Arrow Video was derived from the same base master, yet it was supervised and approved by director William Friedkin. That release was highly controversial at the time as the filmmaker was notorious for tinkering with his old films to underwhelming results for purists of the art form. This included digital manipulation, changing the color tint, and more. We have sadly lost Friedkin in recent years, but this has opened up the opportunity for Arrow Video to release the film in its original form as it always deserved. At the very least, it is nice to have another opportunity to celebrate his art. 

This new release preserves the necessary natural film grain as it resolves unmistakably without a hint of clumping or swarming. Everything is organic with no lingering print damage or stray specks. The movie looks unbelievable with more subtle details on display than ever before thanks to the lack of digital smoothing. The texture present in the clothing and within the gritty setting is astounding. When it comes to encoding, we did not spot any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such nuisances. Much of this film takes place in dark clubs or hotel rooms, and the encode never comes up short to betray the picture. 

The presence of Dolby Vision for expanded color output is a godsend from the first frame. This narrative thrives on the dingy side of the spectrum, and the shades traversed are a pleasure to explore. The evocative lighting and the costumes take full advantage of the technology with more depth than ever. Black levels are stellar with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are dialed in with no signs of blooming. The numerous environments explored are a treat with this disc. You can appreciate the complexities of the urban jungle accentuated with some more dazzling hues. Arrow Video has made things right at last with this release. 

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio mono track along with the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track and the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround sound track created for the 2007 remaster, all of which represent the film to its fullest potential. Arrow Video usually does a first-rate job of ensuring the original theatrical audio is presented, but it is nice to also give fans a more immersive option if they desire. This presentation is clear of any hiss, distortion, or other age-related wear and tear. 

The clubs and police precincts are brought to life with a bustling soundscape that creeps through to provide some favorable ambient details. Moments of tension ratchet up the activity without becoming a sonic sludge, as everything is delineated with precision. All of the various sounds in the mix seem carefully rendered so that nothing ever sounds off. The soundtrack and score establish a tone for the story that is represented affectionately in the mix. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the sound effects or music. Everything is presented with top-notch fidelity. Arrow Video has nailed it on all fronts with this release. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

The Limited Edition Collector’s Set of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Cruising comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 120-page bound 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. These works provide a great context for and analysis of the film in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster and a small replica of the script with key scenes included. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

Disc One

• Commentaries and Alternative Audio

• • Archive Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin (2007) 

• • Archive Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin,  Moderated by Critic and Broadcaster Mark Kermode (2019) 

• • There Were Cops, A Dark Bar…and Al Pacino: A new compilation of interviews discussing the soundtrack, featuring Don Bolles, Kenny Margolis, Louis X. Erlanger, Carole Pope, Madelynn Von Ritz, Shawn Casey O’Brien, and Jonathan Hertzberg.

• • ‘Heavy Leather’ Alternate Score: An alternate musical score by Pentagram Home Video originally released in 2019, presented here as a full-length soundtrack for the first time. 

• The Backroom – Cut, Alternate and Deleted Scenes

• • Deleted Scenes 

• • • Why Take the Job? – Deleted Scene (0:56) 

• • • Night Stick – Deleted Scene (3:35) 

• • • Porno Booth Scene – Additional Footage (2:40) 

• • Original On-Set Audio

• • • A Piece of Work: An 11-minute interview with on-set sound mixer Kim Ornitz

• • • On-Set Audio – Protestors (1:48) 

• • • On-Set Audio – Club Scenes (0:33)

• • • On-Set Audio – Killer’s Voice (0:21)

• • • On-Set Audio – Apartment Audio (1:29)

• • Alternate Elements 

• • • French Disclaimer Card (0:59)

• • • French Credit Roll (4:02)

• • • Spanish Disclaimer Card (0:37)

• • • Alternate English End Credits (1:09)

• • • Alternate Introduction – Comparison (1:13)

• • • Alternate Introduction – 2006 Restoration (1:09)

• • • Alternate Introduction – 2018 Restoration (1:11)

• • Censored Material 

• • • Censored Scene Reel 02a – Comparison (1:38)

• • • Censored Scene Reel 02a – Complete (1:42)

• • • Censored Scene Reel 03 – Comparison (1:55)

• • • Censored Scene Reel 03 – Complete (2:11)

• Archival Extras

• • The History Of Cruising: A 21-minute archival featurette from 2007 looking at the film’s origins and production. 

• • Exorcising Cruising: A 23-minute archival featurette from 2007 looking at the controversy surrounding the film and its enduring legacy. 

• Trailers and Promotional Items

• • Trailers

• • • Teaser (1:13)

• • • Theatrical Trailer (3:29)

• • TV Spots

• • • TV Spots (2:13) 

• • • Test TV Spots (2:38)

• • • TV Spot Optical Tests (2:35)

• Photo Galleries 

• • Promotional Items

• • Key Art

• • Musical Releases 

• • Jane Wechsler On-Set Sketch Gallery

• • Set Items Gallery 

Disc Two 

• I Want To Be The Curator: A new 39-minute interview with actress Karen Allen in which she discusses getting involved with the picture, not being able to read the entire script even after getting the role, her memories of working with William Friedkin, sweet reflections of Al Pacino, the controversial nature of the picture, thoughts on the ending, and more.

• Walking The Line: A new 71-minute interview with actor, film consultant, and former police detective Randy Jurgensen who has tons of great stories about how this film came to be and his real-life experiences undercover. 

• Cut Offs: A 55-minute interview from 2017 with editor Bud S. Smith who relays stories about working with William Friedkin and his historic career. 

• Who’s That Guy?: A 14-minute interview from 2017 with actor Jay Acovone who discusses his work on Cruising and working with William Friedkin. 

• Pounding The Beat:  A 47-minute interview from 2017 with actor Mike Starr who reflects on his friendship with Joe Spinell, working with William Friedkin, the complicated crowd scenes, and more. 

• The Boy On The Bus: A 38-minute interview from 2017 with actor Mark Zecca who discusses his background, his work on the film, New York life at this time, and more. 

• Mineshaft Memories: A 34-minute interview from 1990 with Wally Wallace, former manager of the Mineshaft, who shares some of his memories of the space. 

• BeyondFest Q&A: A 41-minute Q&A from 2022 with the late filmmaker who reflects on the legacy of the feature. 

• Breaking The Codes: A 13-minute visual essay by actor and writer David McGillivray that discusses the place of queer sexuality and contact. 

• Production Stills

• Stop The Movie: A 12-minute mute short film from filmmaker Jim Hubbard that gives you a glimpse of the protest against the movie. This can be played with optional commentary from Hubbard. 

Final Thoughts

Cruising is a pretty terrific outing from the great William Friedkin despite some of the dated depictions of the queer community. Al Pacino is in top form as he dares to explore areas that other actors may have chosen not to at this time. The film has an engaging central mystery, but it is far from a one-and-done viewing experience thanks to the layered character work and thematic explorations. If you have never watched this one before, do yourself a favor and rectify that immediately. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a knockout A/V presentation and a daunting assortment of special features. This is the release that fans always dreamed would come. Highly Recommended 

Cruising will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on February 25, 2025. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. 

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.