American Gigolo is a 1980 thriller written and directed by Paul Schrader. This film is notable for establishing Richard Gere as one of Hollywood's leading men and it is also one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to have full-frontal male nudity. The film also stars Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo, and Bill Duke.
Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a Los Angeles escort who specializes in older women with deep pockets. To Julian, love-making is more than a job; it's an art! He is sexy, up on fashion, owns the latest hifi stereo equipment, lives in a fancy apartment, and is also fluent in many languages, especially the international language! He is in high-demand, but he has turned his back on those who helped him become what he is. He needs no one.
A jealous rival named Leon (Bill Duke) sets Julian up with a client and the woman winds up dead. Michelle (Lauren Hutton) can help him with an alibi but in exposing their affair she risks losing everything, including her marriage to a powerful senator.
American Gigolo is about love and sacrifice. This film was highly thought of by critic Roger Ebert and watching it bears witness to its influence on other films such as Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 crime thriller Drive starring Ryan Gosling. Richard Gere is perfectly cast as the narcissistic boy-toy and fall-guy. Lauren Hutton is also great as the desperate older woman trapped in a convenient marriage. And Bill Duke is also great as Gere's jealous rival named Leon.
This is a fantastic film from start to finish. I have it on DVD and it looks great and I highly recommend you get it, especially if you are a fan of 80s movies.
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