A stand up guy, a cop takes on an assignment like no other to go undercover on the NYC gay leather scene to catch a killer. Al Pacino is outstanding as the promotion hungry cop who runs head first into a seedy world of male lust that begins to get under his skin. The film perfectly captures the NYC I long for but is now hard to find; the seedy, scuzzy, dirty, sleazy NYC with all kinds of street characters hustling or looking to party. It's the same NYC we see in films like Maniac Cop, Mean Streets and Taxi Driver and boy is it filmic and atmospheric. Proper escapism to a different time here, with a plot that keeps you guessing and guessing. Pacino's character's journey here is a must watch. Considered shocking for the time it now looks all so tame, but the film never was great because of shock it was great because of top notch acting, writing and directing.