American Gigolo

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.

As 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".

It'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-

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

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.