American Gigolo

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For other uses, see American Gigolo (disambiguation).

American Gigolo

Directed by	Paul Schrader
Produced by	Jerry Bruckheimer
Written by	Paul Schrader
Starring	Richard Gere Lauren Hutton Hector Elizondo Bill Duke
Music by	Giorgio Moroder
Cinematography	John Bailey
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	February 8, 1980
Running time	117 min.
Language	English
Budget	$4,800,000
Preceded by	Taxi Driver
Followed by	Light Sleeper
IMDb profile

American Gigolo is a 1980 feature film, written and directed by Paul Schrader. Schrader based the film on French director Robert Bresson's Pickpocket (1959).

1 Plot
2 Soundtrack
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Julian Kaye (Richard Gere), is a male prostitute in Los Angeles whose job supports his expensive tastes in cars, stereo equipment, and clothes. While on an assignment for his primary procurer Anne (Nina Van Pallandt), he meets Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), an unhappy wife of a local politician who is intrigued by him. Julian's other pimp, Leon (Bill Duke), sends him to the house of a wealthy financier, who asks that Julian abuse and have sex with the man's wife while he watches. Julian later learns that the wife has been murdered, and Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) investigates Julian as a primary suspect. Though he was with a client on the night of the murder, the client refuses to give Julian an alibi to protect her and her husband's reputations.

As Julian's relationship with Michelle deepens, suspicion of the murder mounts against him. He soon realizes that he is being framed and grows increasingly desperate. His decline is visually represented by a degeneration in style as his clothes become rumpled, he goes unshaven, and he even rents a cheap commuter car after his Mercedes has been compromised. Julian finally confronts Leon, who confesses that one of the other, younger gigolos who works for him inadvertently killed the wealthy man's wife. Leon conceived of the plan to frame Julian. With no one to help him, Julian ends up in jail, awaiting trial for the murder. However, at the end Michelle risks her reputation and that of her husband to provide Julian with the alibi that can save him from prison. In the final shot, Julian tenderly rests his face against the glass that separates him from Michelle's hand.

[edit] Soundtrack

"Call Me" by Blondie is the lead song for the popular soundtrack. The music was composed by Giorgio Moroder.

[edit] Trivia

The movie has the first time a major Hollywood actor was frontally nude in a film.
Julian Kaye drives a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL convertible.
The wardrobe used in the film placed Armani on the fashion map.
John Travolta had been offered the role, but due to payment disagreements with Schrader, he dropped out. This is not the only role that Travolta has turned down only to be taken by Richard Gere. It occurred again when Travolta was offered the lead in both An Officer and A Gentleman (1982) and Chicago (2002).
Christopher Reeve was also offered the lead role, but turned it down, reportedly because he found the film's subject matter "distasteful".