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In the late 1970s, New York's S&M gay scene is thriving, with many a club catering to gay men in leather, and many a quiet corner in the park hiding gay couples going at it. And this is also the ideal hunting ground for a serial killer, Stuart (Richard Cox), who manages to remain undetected also because the gays don't necessarily trust law enforcement - and aren't always terribly wrong about it (as proven by a priceless performance of cult icon Joe Spinell as a sleazy cop). As the mayor and the press demand an arrest soon, Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) comes up with the idea to let young and fairly attractive policeman Steve Burns (Al Pacino) to go undercover, as he fits the profile of the killer's victims. Of course, Steve is neither gay nor does he know much about the scene, but he's ambitious, so he learns quickly. But the more he gets into the gay scene, the more he loses himself in it, and he becomes gradually estranged from his wife Nancy (Karen Allen). Eventually, Steve thinks he has found the killer, rather bully-ish Skip (Jay Acovone), and lures him into a trap - but when he sees how his colleagues try to force a confession out of Skip, only to see him totally exonorated an hour later, this tips him almost too far. He wants to quit, but now is in it too deep - and then he stumbles over a clue that leads him to Stuart, but this time he tries to apprehend him on his own. Problem is, Stuart isn't exactly stupid, and is in good enough shape to be a threat in one-on-one fight ...

On paper, this might read like part serial killer movie, part police procedural, but on screen, this is above all a very engaging character study, and one that gets it right in pretty much every aspect: The film's rather flashy backdrop (the New York gay scene) and the central character arc correspond directly with one another rather than one just being a canvas for the other, the narration, while character-centric, still tells a well-structured and entirely suspenseful tale, direction and camerawork are slick without being glossy and focus on tension, and Al Pacino at the top of his game leads a very strong ensemble cast. Pretty much a must-see, and a film that has aged particularly well.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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