Cruising (1980)

A chilling pallor descends on New York City as a series of grotesque discoveries are made: severed male body parts litter the city streets. The horrific finds coincide with a string of macabre murders within the leather S&M gay subculture. The victims, eerily similar in appearance, are found bound, naked, and bearing three-inch deep knife wounds etched into their backs. The police, believing these gruesome incidents to be interlinked, set out to infiltrate the underground world from where the terror stems. Police constable Steve Burns, an aspiring detective who mirrors the physical traits of the victims, is handpicked by the presiding investigator, Captain Edelson, for a covert operation. Despite his straight orientation, Burns is lured by the prospect of his detective dreams and accepts the perilous assignment, but with a caveat - he must maintain absolute secrecy, even from his girlfriend, Nancy. Plunged into the labyrinthine depths of the S&M subculture, Burns embarks on a steep learning journey, navigating through the complex rules and signals of this clandestine society whilst tracking down suspects. His routine life with Nancy fades to a blur as the undercover work starts to consume him. The chilling specter of the murders hovers constantly, and the stark reality of his new world tests his limits, pushing him to question how far he'll go for success. As Burns delves deeper into the darkness, he is profoundly affected by the subculture's rawness and the police's reaction to the unfolding events. The psychological toll threatens his ability to complete his mission and strains his relationship with Nancy. The city's sinister underbelly and his evolving persona become a haunting challenge for Burns, nudging him towards an unforeseen precipice. The question remains, will he lose himself in the pursuit of a monstrous killer, or will he emerge victorious from the shadows of New York's darkest corners?

Cruising is a crime movie featuring Al Pacino and directed by William Friedkin.

It is possible to buy Cruising on Amazon Video, Apple TV, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Vudu and YouTube.