Cruising 4K Ultra HD

"Crusing" takes place during the 70s New York gay scene and a searing punk-rock soundtrack in this one-of-a-kind serial killer thriller. New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who is praying on the patrons of the city's underground gay scene. Young rookie cop Steve Burns (Al 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. (Gary Reber)

Special features on the 4K disc include two archive commentaries by Director William Friedkin, one solo and one moderated by critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode; new commentary featuring original musicians involved with the soundtrack; the featurettes "I Want To Be The Curator" interview with Actress Karen Allen (HD 38:29); deleted scenes and alternative footage; on-set audio featuring the club scenes and protest coverage; censored material reels; theatrical trailer,; teasers and TV spots. Special features on the Blu-ray Disc include the featurette "Walking The Line" interview with actor, film consultant and former police detective Randy Jurgensen (HD 01:11:13), "Cut Offs" interview with Editor Bud S. Smith (HD 55:00), "Who's That Guy?" interview with Actor Jay Acovone (HD 13:42), "Pounding The Beat" interview with Actor Mike Starr (HD 46:37), "The Boy On The Bus" interview with Actor Mark Zecca (HD 37:30), "Mineshelf Memories" an archive interview with Wally Wallace (HD 33:41, "Breaking The Codes" visual essay featuring actor and writer David McGillvray (HD 13:02) , "Stop The Movie" short film by Jim Hubbard (HD 1:51), "The History Of Crusing" (HD ), "Exorcising Cruising" (HD ) and "William Friedkin's BeyondFest 2022 Q&A At The American Cinematheque" (HD 41:10) and extensive image gallery plus a 12-page perfect-bound collector's book and reversible sleeve.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed on 35mm film stock using the Panavision Panaflex camera system and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format derived from the original camera negative. Film grain is is smooth and never objectionable. The picture's production design is centered on the darkest streets of New York City. The picture exhibits roughish imagery, especially during dark, low light scenes. The occasional bright scenes are in police headquarters and daytime street scenes. The color palette exhibits saturated hues with natural tones that are realistic. The darker scenes stress blacks, as in leather attire worn by the gays. Flesh tones appear generally natural. HDR contrast is generally good with excellent deep black levels and realistic natural white levels. Shadow delineation, is generally revealing, but not always. Resolution is excellent with fine detail exhibited in the varied imagery, especially during closeups of skin pores, hair and beards. Architectural feature closeups of building are discernible as are object textures throughout, This has the feel of a classic filmic picture with dense imagery. (Gary Reber)

The repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused with a strong atmospheric backdrop that realistically matches each scene. Foley sound effects are perfectly in sync with picture. Sound effects sound realistic. The music is a an assortment of punk rock and orchestral segments. Surround envelopment includes atmospherics, sound effects, and most prominently the music. Deep bass is supportive of sound effects. Dialogue is intelligible throughout with generally good spatial integration, but not always as there is quite a bit of ADR production dialogue. (Gary Reber