When New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who preys on patrons of the city's underground bars, rookie cop Steve Burns infiltrates the S&M subculture to try and lure him out of the shadows.
Direction
Friedkin's sweaty, suffocating NYC atmosphere.
Editing
That infamous leather bar montage cuts deep.
Sound
The Germs' raw punk soundtrack slaps.
Director
William Friedkin
Al Pacino
Steve Burns
Paul Sorvino
Capt. Edelson
Karen Allen
Nancy Gates
Richard Cox
Stuart Richards
Don Scardino
Ted Bailey
Joe Spinell
Patrolman DiSimone
Jay Acovone
Skip Lee
Gene Davis
DaVinci
Barton Heyman
Dr. Rifkin
Arnaldo Santana
Loren Lukas
Larry Atlas
Eric Rossman
Sonny Grosso
Det. Blasio
Ed O'Neill
Det. Schreiber
Michael Aronin
Det. Davis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Protesters disrupted filming convinced it would demonize gay men; Friedkin later admitted he understood their anger.
The 40-minutes-cut 'lost footage' supposedly contained even more explicit material that Friedkin destroyed—some believe it held the 'real' ending.
US
