Warner Brothers will release a special DVD edition of director William Friedkin's controversial 1980 thriller, Cruising starring Al Pacino in the most controversial role of his career. At the time of its initial release, gay rights groups protested that the film was homophobic. The plot centers on a heterosexual New York City detective who, in the course of going under cover to solve a gruesome murder, infiltrates the city's gay S&M scene. Some gays protested that the script implied that homosexuality was not only deviant but could cause straight men to adopt the lifestyle simply by being in the presence of gay men. The film also caused a firestorm because of its boundry-breaking sequences of sexual activity in the underbelly of the S&M clubs. The DVD will be released on September 18 and feature a remastered version of the film, commentary by William Friedkin and new behind-the-scenes featurettes. Intriguingly, the film will have a limited theatrical run immediately prior to its home video release. It will be interesting to see how the gay community evaluates the film after the passage of time. Look for a full review on Cinema Retro. To see WB's official press release, continue reading.