Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- melancholic
- sensual
- late night viewing
- neo-noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's moody study of loneliness, Richard Gere's presence, and stylish atmosphere while finding its melodramatic mystery evasive or improbable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Julian's escort work, designer lifestyle, and growing isolation turn affluent Los Angeles into an emotionally empty criminal underworld.
Julian constructs himself through appearance, sexual performance, and professional control while struggling with loneliness and moral ambiguity.
Expensive Los Angeles interiors, foreign cars, designer clothes, and nightlife settings frame Julian's isolation rather than resolving it.
The escort profession, infidelity, murder accusation, and police investigation combine sensuality with brooding moral uncertainty.
Films like American Gigolo, and why
The Driver
shares a lonely, morally ambiguous protagonist, eroticized urban noir atmosphere, and crime investigation shaped by alienation
To Live and Die in L.A.
shares 1980s Los Angeles crime drama, stylish surfaces, emotional isolation, and a protagonist trapped by suspicion
Sea of Love
shares psychological crime storytelling, nocturnal city spaces, sexual danger, and a protagonist under pressure from law enforcement
Taxi Driver
shares New Hollywood introspection, masculine alienation, moral uncertainty, and a brooding urban atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Schrader
- Release Date
- 1980-02-01
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (750)
Cast
- Richard Gere
- Lauren Hutton
- Héctor Elizondo
- Nina van Pallandt
- Bill Duke
- Brian Davies
- K Callan
- Tom Stewart
- Patricia Carr
- David Cryer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is American Gigolo about?
- A high-end Los Angeles escort becomes trapped in a murder investigation that turns his carefully curated life into a study of loneliness, suspicion, and moral ambiguity.
- What is American Gigolo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of American Gigolo as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is American Gigolo violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in American Gigolo as mild.
- What did critics think of American Gigolo?
- Critics broadly praised the film's moody study of loneliness, Richard Gere's presence, and stylish atmosphere while finding its melodramatic mystery evasive or improbable.
- Which films are like American Gigolo?
- Films with a similar feel include The Driver, To Live and Die in L.A., Sea of Love, and Taxi Driver.
- How long is American Gigolo?
- American Gigolo runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch American Gigolo?
- In United States, American Gigolo is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
