Critical reaction to the film was highly negative, and LGBT activists publicly protested against "Cruising". , the film holds a 51% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 53 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.2/10. The site's consensus states, ""Cruising" glides along confidently thanks to filmmaking craft and Al Pacino's committed performance, but this hot button thriller struggles to engage its subject matter sensitively or justify its brutality." Upon its original release, Roger Ebert gave "Cruising" two and a half out of four stars, describing it as well-filmed and suspenseful yet it "seems to make a conscious decision not to declare itself on its central subject"—the true feelings of Pacino's character about the S&M subculture, which are never explored to Ebert's satisfaction.