American Gigolo
BB.5
(out of 5)
Richard Gere made an icon of himself in this supposedly groundbreaking film, one that is only memorable because for once it is a man selling his body for money in the centre of a sex thriller and not a woman (with a heart of gold or otherwise). He plays a high-priced gigolo who services the bored and wealthy women of Beverly Hills without the slightest hitch in his perfect routine. His game is nearly over when he meets a beautiful politician’s wife (Lauren Hutton) who begins to develop genuine feelings for him. Muddying it up is a murder mystery that occurs when one of Gere’s clients is killed and he is left as the main suspect. Some good acting, particularly from the star himself, who pulls off the suave character without the slightest bit of apprehension, but the story is boring and tries to disguise its mundaneness with sensationalistic scenes of supposedly liberal sexuality (and male frontal nudity). A more personal examination of the life of a prostitute who falls in love would be more interesting without a mystery plot that only serves to classify it into an easily recognizable genre.
USA, 1980
Directed by Paul Schrader
Screenplay by Paul Schrader
Cinematography by John Bailey
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Music by Giorgio Moroder
Production Design by Edward Richardson
Costume Design by Giorgio Armani
Film Editing by Richard Halsey
Cast Tags: Barry Satterfield, Betty Canter, Bill Duke,Bob Jardine, Brent Dunsford, Brian Davies, Carlo Alonso, Carol Bruce, Carole Cook, David Cryer, Dawn Adams, Eugene Jackson, Faye Michael Nuell,Frances Bergen, Frank Pesce, Gordon Haight, Gordon W. Grant, Harris Weingart, Harry Davis, Hector Elizondo, James Currie, Jessica Potter, John H. Lowe, John Hammerton, Judith Ransdell, K Callan, Kopi Sotiropulos, Laura Gile, Lauren Hutton, Linda Horn, Macdonald Carey,Maggie Jean Smith, Mary Helen Barro, Michael Goyak, Michele Drake, Nanette Tarpey, Nina van Pallandt, Norman Stevans, Pamela Fong, Patricia Carr, Peter Turgeon, Randy Stokey, Richard Derr, Richard Gere, Robert Wightman, Roma Alvarez, Ron Cummins, Sam L. Nickens,Tom Stewart, William Dozier, William Valdez
Golden Globe Award Nominations
Best Original Score-Motion Picture (Giorgio Moroder)
Best Original Song-Motion Picture (“Call Me”, music and lyrics by Deborah Harry, Giorgio Moroder)
