The shooting and promotion were dogged by gay rights protesters, who believed that the film stigmatized them. Poorly received by critics upon release, Cruising performed moderately at the box office.
The title is a play on words with a dual meaning because 'cruising' can describe both police officers on patrol as well as men who are cruising for sex. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly those men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. Cruising is a 1980 crime thriller film written and directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen.
