American Gigolo

"He's the highest paid lover in Beverly Hills. He leaves women feeling more alive than they've ever felt before. Except one."

1980 1h 57m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 754

CrimeDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.

“He's the highest paid lover in Beverly Hills. He leaves women feeling more alive than they've ever felt before. Except one.”

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Cast

Richard Gere
Julian Kaye
Lauren Hutton
Michelle Stratton
Héctor Elizondo
Detective Sunday
Nina van Pallandt
Anne
Bill Duke
Leon James
Brian Davies
Charles Stratton
K Callan
Lisa Williams
Tom Stewart
Mr. Rheiman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Schrader
Writers: Paul Schrader
Languages: German, Swedish, English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $53M — a 10.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Swedish, English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Giorgio Moroder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton and Héctor Elizondo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's the highest paid lover in Beverly Hills. He leaves women feeling more alive than they've ever felt before. Except one.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Schrader directs. John Bailey behind the camera. Giorgio Moroder scores. Richard Halsey cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, Swedish, English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $53M — a 10.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Swedish, English, French.
4Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Giorgio Moroder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton and Héctor Elizondo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He's the highest paid lover in Beverly Hills. He leaves women feeling more alive than they've ever felt before. Except one.".
9IMDB entry: tt0080365 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "infidelity", "detective", "suspicion of murder", "gigolo".