American Gigolo Movie Review

American Gigolo (1980)

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Written by: Paul Schrader
Directed by: Paul Schrader
Starring: Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo, Bill Duke
Rated: R
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Plot
A Los Angeles male escort, who mostly caters to an older female clientèle, is accused of a murder which he did not commit.

Verdict
It's mostly a murder mystery, sensationalized by main character Julian being a male prostitute. This world is intriguing, and I like the simplicity of why he was framed. I wish this did more to characterize Julian. This tries to coast too far on the titillating aspects of the story.
It depends.

Review
Julian Kay (Richard Gere) lives a luxurious life with an expensive car, nice apartment, and plenty of women. He's a male prostitute as even the title of the movie wants you to know that first and foremost. Julian's been doing this for a while, he comfortably accompanies his customers, and he's knowledgeable about antiques and furniture. This job afford him a lifestyle he wouldn't otherwise have, influence over the rich, and a certain level of power. He gets to live in that world, but he's not really a part of that world. He has the same objects and possessions that infer that status, but he's a secret. His presence in that world implies scandal.

Richard Gere plays Julian Kay

I wish the movie explored his place in this world more. His clients want him, even need him, but he's just a commodity. He's not a person to them. That's played for story convenience, but we don't know how Julian feels about it or if he even realizes his life is a carefully constructed facade. He appears exactly how his benefactors want him to appear.

While this released at the front end of the 80s it certainly captures the materialism that would follow, but I want it to do more. Julian's world is built on materialism. He's a commodity the rich acquire and pass around like art work. He thinks he's more, but is that ego or delusion?

The plot is that Julian is framed for murder. A client is dead, but we know it wasn't Julian. He's an easy suspect because of what he does. An alibi is hard to acquire when his presence in his client's lives would create a controversy if revealed. He's a reputation killer, but the pleasure he provides means he sticks around. 

Julian is a bit unlikable, which likely is why he was framed for this murder. It's convenient. Despite his attitude and arrogance, the life Julian crafted, ostensibly over years, can end in just days.

I like the questions this generates more than what it actually does. Take the prostitute angle out of this, and it's a very boring story. I want this to explore Julian's feelings more. We could see the start of that in his apartment, but we don't see how he treats his possessions. This needs to be less murder mystery and more of a character study. It could easily do both.