William Friedkin is looking back at one of the most controversial parts of his career. His new documentary-style project, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, explores the real events and underground culture that inspired his 1980 film Cruising, along with the backlash that followed.
A deep dive into William Friedkin’s controversial legacy, revisiting Cruising, the Mineshaft club, and the real crimes that shaped one of his most divisive films.
The film focuses on The Mineshaft, a well-known New York leather bar linked to Friedkin’s vision of crime, fear, and urban paranoia in the city’s underground world.
Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, often explored the thin line between law enforcement and moral decay. But Cruising, starring Al Pacino, sparked major controversy. When it was released, LGBTQ+ activists protested outside theaters. They said the film used harmful stereotypes and misrepresented gay culture. The backlash was so strong that it overshadowed the film’s release.
Over time, critics and scholars have taken a more balanced look at Cruising. Many now see it as a complex and uneasy story about identity, surveillance, and fear in 1970s New York.
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders revisits this legacy. It follows Friedkin’s deep dive into the underground scene and shows how it shaped the film’s look and style. It also highlights his contact with people from that world.
The documentary also looks back at the real crimes that influenced the film, including the unsolved “Bag Murders” of gay men in 1970s New York. These cases played a big role in shaping Friedkin’s approach. They pushed him toward a mix of police drama and psychological tension.
More than 20 years later, Cruising is still divisive. But this new project presents it as an important cultural document. It reflects a city shaped by fear, secrecy, and social change. It also shows Friedkin as a filmmaker drawn to complex and uncomfortable ideas.
In revisiting his work, the film asks viewers to think again about Friedkin’s legacy as a bold filmmaker—and about the ethics of telling stories about crime and sexuality.
