American Gigolo
American Gigolo is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story of a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife (Hutton), while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.
| American Gigolo | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Paul Schrader |
| Written by | Paul Schrader |
| Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Edited by | Richard Halsey |
| Music by | Giorgio Moroder |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $52.7 million |
The film established Gere as a leading man, and was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to include frontal male nudity from its main star. It is also notable for its Golden Globe Award-nominated musical score, composed by Giorgio Moroder, and number-one single "Call Me" by Blondie. Schrader considers it one of four similar films, which he calls "double bookends": Taxi Driver, bookended by Light Sleeper, and American Gigolo bookended by The Walker.