  american gigolo is a 1980 american crime drama film starring richard gere, written and directed by paul schrader. 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. ==plot summary== julian kaye (richard gere) is a male escort in los angeles whose job supports his expensive taste in cars, stereophonic equipment, cocaine and clothes. he is blatantly narcissistic and superficial; however, he claims to take some pleasure in his work from being able to sexually satisfy women. when on an assignment for his primary procuress, anne (nina van pallandt), he meets michelle stratton (lauren hutton), the unhappy wife of a local politician, who becomes interested in him. julian's other pimp, leon (bill duke), sends him to the house of a financier, mr. rheiman, who asks julian to physically abuse and have sex with his wife while he watches them. as julian begins to get to know michelle, he learns that the financier's wife, mrs. rheiman, was murdered. los angeles police department detective sunday (hector elizondo) investigates julian as a primary suspect. though he was with a client, lisa williams (k callan), on the night of the murder, the client refuses to give julian an alibi in order to protect her and her husband's reputations. as julian's relationship with michelle deepens, suspicion of the murder mounts against him. he soon realizes that he is being framed and grows increasingly desperate. his mountin
1980_films 1980s_crime_drama_films American_crime_drama_films American_erotic_films American_films English-language_films Fictional_portrayals_of_the_Los_Angeles_Police_Department Film_scores_by_Giorgio_Moroder Films_directed_by_Paul_Schrader Films_produced_by_Jerry_Bruckheimer Films_set_in_California Films_shot_in_California Male_prostitution_in_the_arts Paramount_Pictures_films Screenplays_by_Paul_Schrader