Richard Gere is perfectly cast in the role of decadent but vulnerable male gigolo cum prostitute who is framed for a murder he didn't commit. His emotional entanglement with a married woman (Lauren Hutton) is believable, but the film is above all a dissection of the emptiness of the kind of stylish materialism which was to become such a hallmark of cosmopolitan lifestyle in the 80's. Like many such morality tales, though, the superficial attractiveness of the 'style' as a way of life is liable to lead some to embrace rather than reject it as a way of bringing excitement into their lives. In any event, a stylish piece of cinema.
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Paul-25012 May 1999
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Tweekums15 May 2014Young Richard Gere plays Julian; a man who knows how to please women and is paid handsomely for it. Things are going well for him and he can pick and choose who he works for and he has just started a relationship with a beautiful woman but his life is soon turned upside down. After taking a job in Palm Springs as a favour for his friend Leon the woman is murdered. When the police start asking questions he isn't concerned at first but soon it becomes apparent that somebody is trying to frame him. He was with another woman on the night of the murder but she is not going to ruin her reputation to give him an alibi. As the story approaches its end it looks as though Julian won't be able to clear his name; he may work among the upper echelons of society but he certainly isn't part of it and it isn't likely that anybody will risk ruin to help him.
Richard Gere goes a fine job in a role that could have been written for him; he is believable as the man older women pay for. Lauren Hutton is also good as love interest Michelle and Bill Duke is great as Leon; the friend who might not be as friendly as he claims to be. Writer/director gives us a stylish mystery with a twist; this isn't about finding who committed the murder, it is about whether or not an innocent man will be able to clear his name. Given the subject matter it isn't surprising that there is some nudity but it is shown in a fairly matter of fact way and is limited to a couple of scenes. Overall this is a slick film that fans of Richard Gere or '80s movies will want to check out. -
dierregi27 September 2020As a gigolo Julian Kaye is the most stylish you can imagine. He lives in a tasteful apartment, minimalistic before minimalism became fashionable. His lady friends lavish him with expensive gifts. He wears only the best clothes, assembling outfits with good taste and knowledge of colours. He's also, smart, witty, charming and polyglot.
The perfect man? If you are rich, lonely and middle-aged. Julian prides himself of being able to pleasure women neglected by their men.
However, behind this glamorous facade, Julian is lonely and despised by his peers for his arrogance. When a rich, kinky wife gets killed in a kinky way, Julian becomes quickly suspect number 1.
In the meantime, he managed to start a "real" relationship with Michelle, the trophy wife of a politician. Will their love survive the storm?
Gere - allegedly chosen to replace John Travolta - plays the role of his life with deceptive nonchalance. He made it so simple, the public believed he was Julian and the critics always underestimated him as another pretty face.
It's a shame, because Gere is a talented actor who never received the praise he deserved. This movie is a modern, unmissable classic, ushering the materialistic Eighties with style, sophistication and an unforgettable soundtrack inclusive of Blondie and Moroder smash hit "Call me". -
"American Gigolo" really is slick and stylish. As slick and stylish as any film could be, so you really wonder whether this is Schrader's film or Jerry Bruckheimer's? If you look solely at the screenplay, it almost fits into the typical Schrader exploration of any given 'seedy underworld'. You could even argue that Julian and Michelle are in a way similar to Travis and Betty. Looking at the final product, however, I see a slick Hollywood mystery-thriller that's actually far more interesting for its romantic sub-plot than for any of the suspense parts.
Don't get me wrong, in places "American Gigolo" is a quality character study, and the romance is as well-written as you could ever expect from a major, mainstream Hollywood production, but the suspense thriller portion is just so banal, expected, and predictable that it really takes away from an otherwise very good film. Perhaps most worthy of praise here is Richard Gere who gives one of his best performances here, and I certainly cannot even begin to imagine John Travolta in the lead role.
It sounds like I'm criticizing how stylish this film is, I'm really not. It's pulled off pretty darn well in comparison to how many films of this sort have ended up, and you have to admit Gere's wardrobe is impressive. The film is well-shot and well-acted and for the most part quite well-written (although this is far, far from Paul Schrader's best work as a screenwriter). My comments on the film's slickness are really just a natural reaction to this film coming right after "Hardcore". Indeed, it seems like this film is a signpost for the early 80's (the dud of a score proves it) where in Hollywood even homicide cases with a Gigolo as the main suspect are glamorous rather than gritty.
A lot of people hate this film, but it has also gained a large cult following and a respectable following from film critics and aficionados, even landing a spot on the 'They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?' top 1000 list, and I can't really understand why anyone would have such extreme feelings about a film that is just watchable and entertaining. I don't think Schrader did his best work here, but it's not his worst either and the film as a whole is so unimposing and forgettable that I find it hard to believe it has so many fans and so many detractors.
7/10 -
GeoPierpont28 February 2016I had never seen this film and figured it would bore me, but after 36 years it is an historical record of the LA scene. I was enthralled with each street scene, home decor, wardrobe, and hedonistic simplicity just like when I first moved here.
Richard still looks better in dress whites but nice to see him sans gray hair. I think the Armani suits were classic but those dark shirts and light silver boots ruined the look imho. He is a very handsome lad and so very wholesome, just what the lady ordered I am guessing.
Most of the women they focused on for his tricks were absolutely stunning, why would they have to pay anything was impossible to imagine. Also it was hard to believe the two topless girls did not have huge implants, nice. Back then, $1000 for a 'date' appears to be astronomical, but like women in his profession, probably had to work with some nasty characters. So before AIDS, internet porn, 9/11, crazy RE prices, the lure of LA was sumptuous and hard to resist.
I found the script most tedious and un-engaging, but the test of time proved this was just a blip in honor of the preservation of life in LA back in the day.
High recommend for those of us who lost their Beta tapes of touring the town and a happy reminder of a simpler life. Beware of nostalgia! -
Fresh off his eye-opening 1979 effort Hardcore, writer/director Paul Schrader struck again in 1980 with American Gigolo. This is the story of a high-end male prostitute (Gere) named Julian Kaye. Julian caters to the every need of several well-to-do older women whose husbands either are unable or reluctant to satisfy them. Julian is good at what he does, and he knows it. But that's his problem. His subtle arrogance is beginning to rub others in his line of work the wrong way. After he is framed for the murder of a kinky wife, Julian finds that none of his associates will help him clear his name. Adding to his misfortune is the fact that in order to clear his name, he will have to reveal much of what he does, as well as the identities of some of his powerful clients to the police. Either way he's screwed. He either goes to jail for the murder, or he never enjoys his profitable career again. The only person who seems interested in helping him is a state senator's wife (Hutton) who has fallen for him.
The film is really not bad. Maybe better than it deserves to be. Much of the credit goes to Richard Gere. Say what you want about the man's odd behavior off screen, but as an actor he is always top drawer. He plays Julian as a smug, intelligent, and sexually ambiguous young man. The performance keeps you guessing as much as the screenplay. Lauren Hutton is very beautiful and plays her part with classic sensuality. This woman never did that much after this, but she gives a fine performance here. Hector Elizondo is on hand as a sleazy detective, and look out for Bill Duke in an early role as a homosexual hustler at odds with Gere.
As for the direction, Schrader does what he can, but he is much better as a writer than a director. There is nothing overly creative about how much of this film is shot. George C. Scott tried to convince Schrader to stick to writing while on the set of Hardcore. American Gigolo is a much better film, so maybe Schrader took those comments to heart and made himself better. Still, the man is just not quite the director you'd hope. Some of the scenes are just a little too stale, with only the actors to breath life into them. One downfall might also be the conclusion. The film just kind of ends without a lot resolved, and a tough choice made by a major character just isn't given the proper motivation you'd think it would need. That said, American Gigolo is not a bad film at all. It was better than I expected, and it is a nice time capsule from 1980 Los Angeles. Give it a try. 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound. -
TheSteelHelmetReturns6 November 2010Giorgio Moroder's signature synths followed by Deborah Harry's instantly recognisable new wave classic, Call Me, opens up American Gigolo as we see a pretty suave 80s Richard Gere in a black Cadilliac driving along the beachside. Gere has all the trappings of a wealthy 80s lifestyle so usually romanticised in a Bruckheimer production but the film establishes in its first few scenes that Gere is pretty much a buck for hire with little sway over his Aryan madam. This form of bait and switch appears throughout the movie, with Gere appearing in control and pretty cool at first and then as a total whore. The dichotomy between these two personas plays a big part of the film's plot as Julian K., Gere, becomes entangled in a murder investigation of a trick who is the wife to a wealthy S&M aficionado and learns that he should question the many friendships he's procured during his career as a loverboy. Lauren Hutton plays a random woman that Gere meets and develops into the film's love interest after one of the most minimalist sex scenes in an 80s film. The set production, music, acting and story is all very connotative of the eighties. Apartments are gray or salmon coloured with minimalist artwork and expensive vases and silver blocky stereo systems - it's clear with some scenes, including one where Gere hangs upside down to do some crunches, that the set design heavily influenced the mise-en-scene of Mary Harron's adaptation of American Psycho. Moroder's various compositions of Blondie's Call Me highlight the continuing descent of Julian k. as the chorus becomes more melancholic and ominous - it's all very suspenseful from an eighties perspective. Some may find the final scenes slightly ridiculous and most likely unrealistic, but one should remember that American Gigolo was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and even on the tail end of New Hollywood, the film does show caution in its dark themes as not to alienate mainstream audiences. I definitely felt the material was pretty subdued for a film written and directed by Taxi Driver's Paul Schrader. However, it doesn't matter as the film is effective as a time capsule of the seedier side of the eighties.
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mark.waltz26 January 2021People are gonna judge, and when someone has a career as a sex worker, they are going to be faced with moral judgments in spite of how they are involved with that person. In the case of the female clients of well-dressed gigolo Richard Gere, they are frightened into keeping mum of their involvement with him when he is tied into a Palm Springs murder that he claims to have no involvement in.
Having been with a rather shady deal of alleged spousal abuse that led to orders by the husband to beat the wife as part of their sexual games, he had no idea that it would go too far. When news of this breaks, his clients want nothing to do with him, even those who just use him as a date for social occasions. How is a man used to the best of material possessions supposed to survive? Gere finds his life going down the toilet all because of one indiscretion and could possibly face a prison sentence for it.
This film is definitely a product of the easy sleazy early 80's, a depressing view of society at its most decadent outside of New York's Studio 54. It's made clear that Gere only services female clients and with beautiful older women such as Carole Cook, Carol Bruce and Frances Bergen among those he escorts as either a professional "shopper", "chauffer" or general companionship. Meeting senator's wife Lauren Hutton seems to open up his emotionally empty existence, and when everything begins to fall apart for him, she seems to be the only one who really cares. But of course, she's trapped, and with a Los Angeles detective (Hector Elizondo) sure of his guilt, he's going to need all the support he can get. Director Paul Schrader once again takes us into the darkest places of society, having written a few films earlier on that subject, and while it's nice to visit on screen, real life visits to such places seem psychologically forbidden.
While I had already discovered Richard Gere through two artistically acclaimed films ("Yanks", "Days of Heaven"), this was the first of his box office successes, and it shows off his handsome seemingly angelic face and toned body nicely. But just how angelic is his character of Julian? He's dangerously quiet because he says very little but always seems to know the right thing to say, even if it all seems part of a script that his character has mapped out in his mind. Gere doesn't really need to act here. Most of his performance is reacting, and he's a fascinating, troubled young man who needs to completely collapse to grow up and really live. So while this is not a great film, it is interesting for many of the elements, and that's why it has become something of a cult classic. -
seymourblack-114 January 2014This incredibly stylish movie that did so much for both Richard Gere and Giorgio Armani initially seems to celebrate materialism and equate it with success and fulfilment. Gere's character dresses in designer clothes, drives a Mercedes and spends his time mixing with conspicuously wealthy people in Los Angeles. He's seen in expensive restaurants, exclusive country clubs and posh hotels but gradually it becomes evident that there's an emotional emptiness in his life which becomes even more pronounced when he's accused of murder and has to face the prospect of losing everything. Unexpectedly, what follows is a story that illustrates how genuine love (that leads to redemption) can develop in even the most unpromising of circumstances.
Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a male escort who's handsome, charming and very good at his job. He speaks five or six languages, lives in a luxurious apartment and is very accomplished at attending to the needs of the affluent older women who pay him very well for his services. Most of his introductions are provided by Anne (Nina van Pallandt) who taught him everything he needed to know to be successful in his business but despite all that she's done for him, he's disrespectful to her and treats her unfairly in their financial dealings.
In the course of his work, Julian introduces himself to a politician's wife called Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton) at a hotel bar but her reactions lead him to believe that he'd made a misjudgement and that she had no interest in becoming one of his clients. Later, however, she contacts him and they get to know each other better. Julian's problems begin after he's directed to a client in Palm Springs by a down-market pimp called Leon (Bill Duke) because a short time later, she's found dead and Julian becomes the prime suspect.
Police Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) is assigned to the case and firmly believes that Julian is the killer. Suddenly, Julian finds himself in a position where he's unable to provide an alibi because the nature of his work means that discretion is vital but also his rich clients start deserting him at a rapid speed. Although it's obvious to him that he's been framed, Julian doesn't know who's set him up and so his efforts to prove his innocence become increasingly desperate as he can see no way out of his predicament.
The plot in "American Gigolo" is almost of secondary importance to the relationship that develops between Julian and Michelle and the surprising way in which their affair enriches both their lives. Julian's journey from being a conceited, selfish and superficial person is remarkable and is seen to take place very gradually as the loneliness that both he and Michelle had previously experienced is replaced by something far more meaningful and substantial. Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton are marvellous in their roles as they evolve so subtly from the awkwardness of their first meeting and find so much more in each other that they could ever have imagined was possible. Nina van Pallandt, Bill Duke and Hector Elizondo are also superb in their supporting roles.
"American Gigolo" is a work of greater depth than it might appear to be on first viewing and is strongly enhanced by its wonderful visual style and the music of Blondie and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. -
faraaj-129 August 2006Ignore the low IMDb rating. American Gigolo is a very watchable movie and its never boring. Richard Gere is a revelation in the lead role of an upper-class male prostitute whose power and position spiral downwards when a client is murdered. The fact that he's sleeping with the local senators wife doesn't help either.
The photography has an interesting 80's/European feel. The plot has elements of noir to it with Gere having a moral code despite the sleaze and filth he has to live with. A bit like Taxi Driver which isn't surprising considering the writer-director Paul Schrader also wrote that 70's classic.
I think Gere is perfect for this role. Neither Travolta nor Christopher Reeve could have carried the film the way he does. Too bad though that Julie Christie, who was originally supposed to play the Senator's wife dropped out. -
BandWit24 August 2002Richard Gere's undeniable screen presence will surely delight his fans.
Unfortunately, his charisma and good looks alone can not carry this tedious, emotionless film.
"American Gigolo" does not work as a crime drama or love story. Due to poor writing, there is essentially no significant character development. As the film muddles its way from beginning to end, it failed to make me care about any of the characters.
A big disappointment. -
I was under the impression that "American Gigolo" was one of those "cult" movies I never understood why so many people liked in the first place. But I was utterly surprised by the user rating of this movie and the fact that there are only a couple of comments. But the biggest surprise is I actually liked the movie, I found it extremely interesting and thought it had a great 80's feel to it. Richard Gere, who never really impressed me with anything, is in the role of his lifetime, playing his playboy role to perfection.
Director Paul Schrader made a smart movie that doesn't have to show everything in order for the viewer to know what happens and I liked it. The ending is very suitable and I especially love the last scene and Gere's last sentence which really touched me.
I didn't really understand the plot, but with Gere, a great score that manages to keep a single song interesting throughout the entire movie and great directing "American Gigolo" stands high above average and is one of the best movies of the eighties. 8/10 -
Growing-up in the 80's I give that decade's movies the extra benefit of the doubt. Such is the case for Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo", which is a pretty standard flick from then,although it helped launch a younger Richard Gere's career during the time - "An Officer and a Gentleman" is probably Gere's finest. The movie reminds a bit of Risky Business though not nearly as endearing or well done. Gigolo's murder mystery takes a back seat to the steamy romance between Gere's and Lauren Hutton's characters, the real draw and centerpiece of the movie. An early scene beginning scene with them both speaking French steals the show. It's easily the best scene in the movie. Mildly recommended thanks to the romance. Say a 6.8/10
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bruceski6 December 2000Why do Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton act like they just received frontal lobotomies? Why does Hector Elizondo (who was very likable in Chicago Hope) seem totally miscast? Why does the plot of this film seem to make very little sense?
I guess we're supposed to see this film because we're intrigued by Richard Gere being in a near full frontal scene, and the concept of his sleeping with older rich women. No thank you.
There's nothing romantic about the romance, and there's nothing suspenseful nor intriguing about the murder plot. Skip to either American Beauty or American Pie sitting adjacent on the shelf. Trust me. -
faziners11 May 2000It's hard to precisely depict the impact of the smoky undertow of 1980s LA mores on the emotional and cultural landscape of the city, but Richard Gere's subversive topsy-turvy solo show comes close. Weird, well-shot and intriguing. The queasy feeling it leaves is hard to remove even days later. A/A-
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With just a little bit of thought, just how hard was it to figure out who the murderer was in this one? Given the characters we're introduced to in the story, the only logical choice was the Rheiman dude himself. Having the blond kid do it was just a diversion, he didn't seem necessary even as an ancillary character.
Oh well. Since the story is called "American Gigolo", it comes a bit out of left field when the picture turns into a murder mystery. But even then, it didn't seem like much of a thriller. Planting the stolen jewels in Julian's (Richard Gere) car didn't move the story forward in my estimation, and the way Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) blew off Leon's (Bill Duke) death with a circumspect eye witness was simply too incredulous for this viewer to accept.
So what's left? Well I guess that would be the ending when Michelle (Lauren Hutton) shows up at the jail and offers to lie to provide Julian with his alibi in the Rheiman murder. An admirable thing to do in one respect, but I'd want to see the trial in the sequel to see how this all turns out. The divorce was bound to be messy. -
ksf-28 June 2021Richard Gere is an escort to the older, wealthier ladies of los angeles. A friend asks him to drive to palm springs for a (rough) date with a woman, while her husband watches. Around the same time, he gets closer than usual to Michelle (Hutton)... she shows up at his door, and gets under his skin more than he usually allows. When Detective Sunday (Elizondo) shows up asking about a murder, he realizes he's going to need help from some folks for an alibi. Except that most people won't want to have any of this shared with the police. Or the public. Some great scenes of LA and palm springs. Hamburger hamlet. Tower records. All gone now. Good story. Long story. Almost two hours. Written and directed by Paul Schrader; he had made Taxi Driver and Raging Bull with Scorsese and DeNiro. Pretty good track record. This one showing on epix channel.
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Okay-ish thriller-drama. Plot setup was good but it just seems to drift from a point. Ending is a bit trite and quite predictable. Surprising, as the movie is written-directed by Paul Schrader, who wrote Taxi Driver and Raging Bull for Martin Scorsese. Maybe he shouldn't direct... (though Affliction was great and Cat People was decent).
Performances are OK. This was Richard Gere's breakthrough role. -
With the decline of the moralistic Production Code, female prostitutes began to appear in films from the early sixties like "Irma la Douce" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's", although they generally fitted that old literary archetype of the "tart with a heart", and by the end of the decade we had, in "Midnight Cowboy", a mainstream film dealing with the subject of male prostitution. "American Gigolo", made in 1980, is another on the same controversial theme.
Julian Kaye is a heterosexual male prostitute working in Los Angeles who makes his living having sex with wealthy women for money. It is evidently a job which pays well as he lives in an upmarket apartment, drives a Mercedes SL, wears clothes by Armani and has expensive tastes in hi-fi equipment. Julian, however, is a tart without a heart; he is a selfish and superficial man who lacks any affection for the women he sleeps with, seeing them only as a source of income, until he meets Michelle Stratton, the unhappily married wife of a rising politician. Michelle becomes a regular client and begins to develop deeper feelings for him. Julian learns that another of his clients, the wife of a wealthy financier, has been murdered. To make matters worse, the police regard him as a prime suspect and he is unable to provide an alibi. He realises that he is being framed to protect the real murderer and is forced to go on the run to discover who is responsible.
The theme of a man wrongly accused of a crime is a familiar thriller trope; it frequently occurs, for example, in the works of Alfred Hitchcock. "American Gigolo", however, is quite different in style to any of Hitchcock's films. It is sometimes regarded as the second installment of Paul Schrader's "lonely man" trilogy, following "Taxi Driver" for which Schrader wrote the script but was directed by Martin Scorsese, and preceding "Light Sleeper" which, like "American Gigolo", was both written and directed by Schrader.
I have never seen "Light Sleeper", but there are certainly parallels between "American Gigolo" and "Taxi Driver". Both have prostitution as a central theme and both have a main character who is a loner, despite the obvious differences between Richard Gere's affluent, dandyish Julian and Robert de Niro's seedy working-class loser Travis Bickle. Like Bickle, Julian is cold and emotionally detached, and both films similarly take a cold-eyed, detached view of their subject-matter. Julian may be the victim of undeserved suspicion, but Schrader never evokes sympathy for him in the way that Hitchcock probably would. (Hitchcock generally intended the audience to identify emotionally with the heroes of his "man unjustly accused" films like Cary Grant in "North by North-West" or Henry Fonda in "The Wrong Man"; "Frenzy" is perhaps an exception). Julian is too cold and self-obsessed to claim our sympathy; there is a sense that he has earned his living in an immoral way and paid the price, that he has played with fire and got burnt after coming up against people more vicious than he is. At the end of the film he is only saved by a false alibi- he has learned to fight fire with fire and lies with more lies, an ironic ending which, I suspect, would not have appealed to Hitchcock.
The film is very much of its time, celebrating the contemporary styles of the late seventies and early eighties, represented by Julian's car, clothes and tastes in interior decoration. (This impression is strengthened by the use of the pop music of the era, such as Blondie's "Call Me", on the soundtrack). As the film progresses, however, the outward symbols of his sleazy success seem to drop away; previously immaculately dressed, he now appears unkempt and unshaven and is seen driving a cheap rented car.
Gere was not the first choice for the role of Julian- that was, apparently, John Travolta- but he made the part his own. As in a number of his best films- other examples include "An Officer and A Gentleman", "No Mercy" and "Chicago"- Gere's performance is characterised by a certain self-confident swagger bordering on arrogance. (The same is to some extent true of "Pretty Woman", but there Edward's outward swagger hides inner uncertainties and self-doubt). Lauren Hutton is also good as Michelle who has to choose between her growing feelings for Julian on the one hand and her husband 's political career and her own reputation on the other.
"American Gigolo" is in form a thriller, but seen purely as such it is not altogether a success. There is insufficient tension, the emotional temperature is too cool and the ending is unclear. Where it does succeed is as a cool, stylish look at the underside of American society in the early eighties. 7/10 -
FloatingOpera711 August 2007American Gigolo (1980): Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Brian Davies, Hector Elizondo, Nina Van Pallandt, Bill Duke, Tom Stewart, K. Callan, David Cryer, Patricia Carr, Macdonald Carey, Carole Cook, Carol Bruce, William Dozer, Richard Derr, Jessica Potter, Peter Turgeon, Robert Wightman, Faye Michael Nuell, Pamela Fong, Randy Stokey, James Currie, Roma Alvarez, Dawn Adams, Bob Jardine, Nanette Tarpey, Barry Satterfield, William Valdez, John H. Lowe, Ron Cummings, Gordon W. Grant...Director Paul Schrader, Screenplay Paul Schrader.
Director Paul Schrader directed and wrote the 1980 film "American Gigolo" by now an old film, and a Richard Gere classic, in fact, the film that launched his career. This is Richard Gere early in his career, in his first "attention-getting" role, flexing his acting muscles and even boldly doing a nude scene. He portrays Julian Kaye, a charismatic, seductive Beverly Hills escort/male high-class prostitute for older women. Life's a party for him until a turning point - his affair with the wife of an esteemed Senator Charles Strutton (Brian Davies), portrayed by Lauren Hutton. The chemistry between Hutton and Gere carries this film, but it is also a number of things. Yes, Gere is always paired with a superb actress in most every film of his - Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" for instance- but this film, released in 1980, was breaking new ground. Julian Kaye's profession is exposed to the most sordid detail and for a while it appears to be like some kind of soft core erotic film. That is until the mystery/drama unfolds. A murder. A senator's blackmail. Before long, Kaye's being framed for a murder he may or may not have committed. Everyone's inclined to believe he did not do the murder. The slow-moving mystery, happening in Los Angeles in 1980, begins to take on the feel of a film noir. With darkly somber music by Giorgio Moroder and stern-looking cinematography by John Bailey, the look of this film pays homage to thrillers of olden days but with a more modern touch and feel. Modern for 1980. It's also interesting to note that not only did this film spell good things for Gere but for its young producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who would go on to a bigger career in Hollywood in the 1990's. This film is not raved about anymore but it's very underrated. It was setting the bar high for other films. It would pave the way for similar films later in the 80's and early 90's. As far as some people are concerned, 1998's "Palmetto" is clearly influenced by this film, and some would say 1997's "L.A. Confidential". Richard Gere is doing a terrific job, breaking new ground as an actor and emerging as a new star in Hollywood. This is no date movie, despite the romantic element of the relationship between Kaye and Strutton. Rather, this is a film for adults who can enjoy a good soft core erotic thriller with crime, mood, Los Angeles setting and scandal among the upper classes. A film that may not appear realistic now (some call it clichéd and contrived) but a film that benefits from a solid script, fine acting and overall wholeness. It's never really very dirty or base (Basic Instinct has more of that kind of stuff) and in its subtle way it packs a punch. So ultimately this is a film for people with certain tastes and definitely a film for Richard Gere fans. -
ODDBear13 September 2004Richard Gere plays a gigolo. Somewhere along the way he finds himself a prime suspect in a capital crime. Who could have framed him, and why?
This film will be remembered for creating Richard Gere. He is the entire film. The seedy look of LA is created deliberately by Paul Schrader, and his social commentary concerning the emptiness of peoples lives shines through. Yet it's not enough to make the film entirely enjoyable. Richard Gere is perfect here, his Julian Kay is a character not easily forgotten. However, all the other characters should have been polished just a little bit more. None of them are interesting. Lauren Hutton's character comes off as a bimbo, nearly plain dumb. The murder subplot is never fully developed, and hence, never becomes all that interesting. And the finale, with it's relentless shifts between scenes that all seem to be cut short, makes one wonder if Schrader knew entirely how to finish the film.
Still, an interesting early eighties film, which looks great, is completely original, has a fantastic central performance and a great music score by Giorgio Moroder. And the Blondie song of course. -
critical_reference20 March 2002I rented this movie after Sommersby because I was interested in seeing Richard Gere in another somewhat shady role. Ugh, this film was tedious. Another reviewer has written that it's like Showgirls without Verhoeven, just Eszterhas. That feels pretty accurate. Lauren Hutton seems to be a mouthpiece for Schrader's fantasy (I hope she got paid well). Gere's character sounds as snotty as Pamela Lee Anderson in VIP. Maybe that's a credit to Gere's range, but it's not fun to watch. Not long into the film, you start hunting around for anything to alleviate the tedium. I can only point to the soundtrack, which remixes Blondie's "Call Me" in a lot of slinky ways. So download the soundtrack, skip the movie.
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Stoney-96 April 1999This is one of Richard Gere's first lead roles in Hollywood, and he doesn't disappoint. The film gives a little insight, a preview even, of the seamier side of the 1980's. Beginning with the shots of Julian Kaye's (Gere) Mercedes convertible, glimpses of Rodeo Drives and Malibu (all with Blondie screaming "Call Me"!), the film manages to be more than just a whodunit. Perhaps the charm of the film for me is that we're never quite sure what to think of Kaye and his married lover (Lauren Hutton), but their quest for happiness with each other is believable. And though the detective plot-line of the movie is a little contrived, Detective Sunday and Leon provide good opposite poles of this Sodom and Gommarah-like portrayal of life in L.A. In fact, Julian's verbal sparring with Detective Sunday provide a light contrast with the realistic portrayal of a gigolo on the run.
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Despite having written some of Hollywood's most engaging films (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cat People), Paul Schrader now takes the director's seat for 1980's drama, "American Gigolo". The film is a slow (very slow at times) paced drama about a young "scort service" man played by a very young Richard Gere, who gets framed in the brutal murder of one of his ex clients and wife to a Palm Springs millionaire.
The life of Julian Kay (Richard Gere) is simple: he gives satisfaction to L.A's lonely and rich Hollywood wives while being handsomely paid for it. From the start, I assume something will eventually go wrong. Julian always keeps a distance from his customers by never getting "too involved" in any way with them. One day he gets a call from an old "friend" who begs him to take a job in Palm Springs; a rich couple into kinky and rough sex, with the husband on the peeping Tom side. The husband asks Julian to handcuff his wife and take her from behind and beat her, to which I assume Julian reluctantly obliges before the scene fades out. Soon after it's all over the news that the kinky wife is found murdered and Julian becomes the prime suspect. All this happens as Julian slowly develops a relationship with his new client, Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), the wife of an up and rising politician. Michelle begins to fall in love with Julian, and he struggles to avoid falling in love too with her.
"American Gigolo" has a lot going for it, starting with the rousing Blondie hit, "Call Me", which remains as the musical theme throughout the movie. What kills this movie is its decidedly slow pace and bland acting from the young Gere. We know he is a lonely man, doing what does best to get by, but not necessarily liking all of it. When he gets framed for murder, little do we know the reasons behind it and little explanation is given to the audience. The reasons behind Julian's friend Leon (William Duke, from "Predator"), turning on him are really never addressed, except that he was "frameable", which isn't saying much. All we know is that Mrs. Stratton's husband is behind the framing, which is weird, coming from a man who knows before hand his wife cheats on him and doesn't seem to care (on the outside).
With all the Hollywood reboots and rehashes going on today, a film like this one could easily be improved upon, perhaps making Julian's past (which we know little from other characters) a bit darker. With "Gigolo" in its title, you'd expect more sex and even by 1980's standards, the sex is pretty restrained.
All in all, "American Gigolo" will be best remembered as an early Richard Gere vehicle and the film that featured Blondie's last, enduring hit single, "Call Me". -
So... Richard Gere goes full frontal nudity ( for a nanosecond) and yet there are no sex scenes in the movie. This Gigolo spends more time at dinner, shopping, and at political fundraisers than he does in the beds of his clients. We assume he does have sex with someone, but even his one bedroom scene with Lauren Hutton is a mishmash of vignettes comprising of Gere's character caressing her calf, and Hutton kissing his back. ( The inclusion of the horrendous looking birthmark didn't help.) There wasn't a scintilla of passion in this whole movie.
As to the plot, there was none that I could surmise. He's a gigolo that doesn't have much sex. He's arrogant, and seems to forget he doesn't belong to the economic strata of the ladies he services, rather he is a service. He also has a mother complex that is never explained. Not much is. He is framed for a murder, but we never find out by whom.
Lauren Hutton finally comes to his rescue with an alibi and visits him in jail to tell him. ( So, if he has an alibi, why is he still in jail? He has only been charged, he has not been convicted.) Then... the most idiotic line to end a movie is spoken. And it's done.
The acting is wooden, and only Gere when he starts to unravel turns in a passable performance. This is the only time the director shows up in any meaningful way.
Starts off with promise, Blondie's " Call Me" blasting from the speakers of a gorgeous black sports car. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there.
Don't waste your time on this movie.