American Gigolo

R

Released Feb 8, 1980

1 hr. 57 min.

Drama

List

72%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Julian (Richard Gere), a gigolo, commands high prices for his services, living a lavish and emotionally unattached lifestyle under the management of Anne (Nina van Pallandt). While secretly working for pimp Leon (Bill Duke), Julian is assigned to service Mr. Rheiman (Tom Stewart) and his wife, Judy (Patti Carr), but leaves when their violent requests make him nervous. When Mrs. Rheiman is found dead and no one is willing to testify on his behalf, Julian finds himself the primary suspect.

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Critics Consensus

While Paul Schrader's clinical direction and Richard Gere's muted performance don't stir much passion, American Gigolo succeeds as a stylish character study.

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W. W. W

the story itself is uninteresting except its title.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

pierce k

This movie was awesome i loved it i'll give it 5 stars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

Full Review

Taylor L

There are four or five different versions of Blondie's 'Call Me' in this film, I'm pretty sure one was played on a pipe organ in a Gothic cathedral for some reason. For a movie that established Richard Gere as a leading man and a sex symbol of the '80s, American Gigolo feels strangely detached. It's a bit more of a daring design than erotic thrillers had been willing to entertain before, with Gere (unsurprisingly) playing a gigolo to a group of scandalous older women, and even male nudity from its protagonist. But it just doesn't convey that shocking edge of the erotic angle, though it does deliver a bit of the paranoia that defined the decade prior with the films of Alan J. Pakula, albeit stretched thin across a noir framework. It's got style but doesn't make your pulse pick up either with the sex or with the murder. Gere always portrays relatively muted characters and this is no different; a bit of animation in the small moments, instead of the emotional outbursts on paper, would have picked the film up quite a bit as he frantically runs around trying to piece together a frame-up job in the seedy underbelly of sex work. Instead, if there's a standout performance it's Bill Duke as a calm pimp, someone who knows more than he lets on. Slow-burn thrillers can work, but American Gigolo doesn't have enough suspense to keep the atmosphere thick and heavy. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

steve d

I like Richard Gere a lot but there isn't a lot here.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Rosana B

Surpreende positivamente, com essa tradução pensei se tratar de uma comédia – pastelão, ledo engano, um suspense dramático, que debatem inclusive o prazer feminino na terceira idade, Richard Gere lindo, perfeito, no auge da sua forma física, interessante como desde novinho e apesar de gostoso, eu já o via como um senhor de meia-idade... Uma boa trama, simples, conveniente e envolvente...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/25/22

Full Review

Lisa L

I always loved this movie back in the day even though I was too young but still naughty enough to go see it. I was sort of obsessed with it loving the name Julian, wanting to live out in California and listening to Blondie on PCH with my top down. This new one brings back a lot of nice memories and I appreciate the acting and willingness to keep it fresh but also centered on the crucial details. I'll give it 5 stars for sure!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/22

Full Review

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Paul Schrader

Director

Richard Gere

Julian Kaye

Lauren Hutton

Michelle Stratton

Héctor Elizondo

Detective Sunday

Nina van Pallandt

Anne

Bill Duke

Leon

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American Gigolo: Official Clip - Searching the Apartment

2:10

American Gigolo: Official Clip - You Walk an Awful Thin Line

2:13

American Gigolo: Official Clip - Why Did You Pick Me?

2:11

American Gigolo: Official Clip - Maybe You're What I'm Looking For

2:09

American Gigolo: Official Clip - Was It What You Expected?

2:12

American Gigolo: Official Clip - I Know What I See

1:54

American Gigolo: Official Clip - I Made You

2:02

American Gigolo: Official Clip - I Had No Choice, I Love You

2:11

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Stylish and deliberately alienating, the film took its lead from European arthouse rather than Hollywood.

May 24, 2023

Full Review

Richard Brody

New Yorker

Schrader films the action with a glossy, gliding precision, orchestrating the complications and controlling the tempo while sustaining the lurid mood with the glow of neon color and with high design—of architecture, furnishings, and clothing.

May 15, 2023

Full Review

Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Richard Gere, the highly touted actor critics invariably defend as a talent in search of a script, proves that his method acting can't propel him through a bad script.

Apr 28, 2018

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…strips back the glamour from Julian Kay’s designer lifestyle and lays bare some real drama…

Rated: 5/5

Apr 10, 2023

Full Review

Tom Huhn

Washington Blade

If it had gone further and allowed the changes in the character of the protagonist to become fully fleshed, American Gigolo could have been quite remarkable. As it is, the film is merely worthwhile.

May 24, 2022

Full Review

Ángel S. Harguindey

El Pais (Spain)

American Gigolo is full of sophisticated contradictions. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 14, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Julian (Richard Gere), a gigolo, commands high prices for his services, living a lavish and emotionally unattached lifestyle under the management of Anne (Nina van Pallandt). While secretly working for pimp Leon (Bill Duke), Julian is assigned to service Mr. Rheiman (Tom Stewart) and his wife, Judy (Patti Carr), but leaves when their violent requests make him nervous. When Mrs. Rheiman is found dead and no one is willing to testify on his behalf, Julian finds himself the primary suspect.

Director: Paul Schrader
Executive Producer: Freddie Fields
Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Sound Mix: Dolby

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