If the community doesn’t accept a film it aims to represent, does it float away forever into the ether of the cinematic zeitgeist? It’s a question that applies to the controversial 1980 film Cruising, directed by William Friedkin — and one that filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz seeks to answer in the documentary, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, which premiered at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival.
There’s something here for film buffs: finding out Al Pacino is a terrible dancer and everyone on set laughed at him; the queer community and its allies: the sheer force and determination with which this group of people were able to derail a major Hollywood production; and true-crime enthusiasts: how the community demanded justice, insight into the victim’s inner life, and a sobering epilogue about the killer’s release from prison. By blending these themes together, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders brings new light to the undeniable value of Cruising as a time capsule for a very specific, and now extinct, moment in American history.
Not only was Friedkin’s Cruising rejected by New York’s gay community upon its release, but its production was infamously derailed and vehemently protested in the summer of 1979. Schwarz examines the film’s notorious history, reckons with its cultural impact, and dissects the events that shroud its legacy.
First, the documentary sets the scene: Greenwich Village, late ‘70s. Compared to the rest of the country, New York City was a haven for gay people at this time. Although segregated to the Village, people were allowed to live their lives openly. The documentary mixes archival footage and talking head interviews of men who lived there to portray the rich history of this time and place. Although it follows documentary conventions, Schwarz effectively recounts a fairly unconventional story.
The way the idea of the film Cruising even came to Friedkin’s mind involves a bizarre, disturbing set of circumstances. In September of 1977, Variety film critic Addison Verrill was brutally murdered. With a string of related murders in Greenwich Village, the crime caught the attention of The Village Voice columnist Arthur Bell. After writing regular columns on this specific case, Bell was approached by the killer and helped bring justice to the Verrill family — a testament to the power of using our voice for action in our community. That news story, however, also caught the eye of William Friedkin, but for a different reason. Verrill’s murderer was Paul Bateson, a credited cast member of The Exorcist.
The documentary adeptly relays first-hand accounts from the late filmmaker through audio clips of Friedkin narrating his life stories. While visiting Bateson at Rikers Island, the killer recounted details that inspired Friedkin to make Cruising his next project. With a mole in their production and Al Pacino confirmed as the starring role, word got out quickly about the film. Arthur Bell detested the idea of this film being made by an outsider, let alone Friedkin, whose 1970 film The Boys in the Band did not play well due to its negative depiction of gay characters. The Verrill murder was important to Bell personally, and he was fearful of how the depiction of this event on the big screen would negatively affect the gay community on a broader scale. He took to The Village Voice, and protests sparked up overnight.
Mineshaft does a solid job at showing all sides of the story, while giving considerable time to the family of the victim and the real, lived experiences of people at the center of the story. Although Friedkin claimed, “I don’t make films for or against anyone,” the film felt like a personal attack on the gay community. The protests brought out thousands to the streets of New York, in some cases creating unsafe environments. The production sets of Cruising were also described as a “battlezone.” While these pieces of the documentary have fascinating tidbits of cultural history, the emotional center lies within the interviews with Addison Verrill’s surviving sister — a reminder of the real lives lost before they were transformed into a catalyst for a film and its subsequent protests.
Almost fifty years later, Cruising has cemented its status as a cult classic of gay cinema, sparking midnight screenings and critical reevaluation in recent years. How could it go from one of the most detested works depicting the queer community to something being embraced and even celebrated? Schwarz answers these questions and more in the documentary.
In 2026, when marginalized communities continue to be silenced, displaced, and misrepresented, Mineshaft feels necessary. It’s a reminder of the importance of protesting, the power of the people when we band together to demand our voices be heard, and the key to unlocking it all: community. The documentary is simultaneously a love letter to a lost era, an honoring of a victim, and an inspiration for new generations to keep fighting the good fight.
Review Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Feature Image Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival