American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2021

Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution There are no supplemental features on this release. In English, with French, French (Benelux), English SDH, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America) Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Cantonese, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

You like me, I can tell. We'll have a lot of fun.

Julian Kay (Richard Gere, Days of Heaven) is a handsome Los Angeles-based gigolo who knows exactly what lonely older women want. For the right amount of money, he is ready to give it to them. Many come back for more, but Julian isn’t always willing to see them again. Only those who have the proper respect for his work can become repeat customers.

In a posh bar in Beverly Hills, Julian meets Michelle (Lauren Hutton, The Gambler, Run for Your Life), the lonely and disillusioned wife of a powerful local politician. They talk and Michelle offers to pay for a night with him. However, sensing that she isn’t a typical client, Julian politely declines the offer.

Soon after, Julian is asked by good friend and businessman Leon (Bill Duke, Predator, Bird on a Wire) to do a gig in Palm Springs, where a local hotshot wants to watch another man make love to his wife. At first, Julian declines, but later on decides that the pay is too good to pass up and agrees to travel to the desert. A day after the gig, the media reports that the hotshot’s wife has been murdered.

Meanwhile, Michelle discovers where Julian lives and meets him at his place. This time he makes love to her, but refuses to take her money.

Director Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo is a dark and very elegant film that goes places most ‘80s Hollywood-produced films don’t. It is also a fascinating time capsule that offers a glimpse at a city that no longer exists.

The first half of the film is light and playful. The camera follows closely Gere’s gigolo as he meets his wealthy clients at expensive bars and clubs, and then does what he is paid to do. His image is so good that he can afford to choose the women who want to see him. He isn’t cocky, but he knows that he is the best in the business and is proud of his status.

The murder in Palm Springs changes everything. After a string of strange revelations, the gigolo attempts to come up with a solid alibi without jeopardizing the privacy of his clients and slowly begins to realize that there is no one around him that is willing to help him. Except for Michelle, who has problems of her own, there is also no one that he can trust. As he struggles to remain calm, the film becomes notably dark and then uncharacteristically bleak.

The majority of the second half would fit perfectly in a neo-noir film. Here, Los Angeles is a sad and lonely city full of insomniacs living on the edge. The visuals are very stylish but occasionally also somewhat unsettling. Some of the most memorable sequences are also complimented by a chic retro soundtrack courtesy of Giorgio Moroder (Scarface, Flashdance).

An Officer and a Gentleman transformed Gere into a star, but his acting in American Gigolo is far more impressive. Indeed, he truly does look like a man some women would pay to be seen with. Hutton is also very convincing as the disillusioned wife. Hector Elizondo, who plays a fast-talking detective looking for answers, also leaves a memorable impression.

The film was lensed by cinematographer John Bailey (Cat People, The Big Chill). It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and executive produced by Freddie Fields (Glory).

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, American Gigolo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution.

American Gigolo was first released on Blu-ray in a couple of European countries in 2013. At the time, we reviewed the French release here. I wanted to take a look at this release because I hoped that it might be sourced from a better master, but it is not. It is sourced from the exact same old master that Paramount supplied to its European branches.

The main issue with this master is that it is very, very old and exhibits a wide range of inconsistencies. I am unsure when it was prepared, but if I had to guess, I would say that it was quite some time ago, and it was likely used to produce different DVD releases. Delineation and depth can range from decent to good, but only in select areas where there is plenty of proper lighting and the camera remains static. Elsewhere there is plenty of flatness and background nuances usually struggle a lot. Clarity is inconsistent as well. Density levels can be a lot better, especially in wider panoramic shots where currently a lot of minor details are lost. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital work, but the element that was used to create the current master isn't good or healthy enough for an all-around solid presentation of the film. So, this film needs a major makeover so that it looks as it should. If redone in 4K, it could and should look every bit as impressive as Flashdance. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are six standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital Mono, German Dolby Digital Mono, Italian Dolby Digital Mono, Portuguese Dolby Digital Mono, and Spanish Dolby Digital Mono. Optional French, French (Benelux), English SDH, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America) Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Cantonese, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity and stability are good. There is a fine range of dynamics as well. However, I would love to see a properly remastered Mono track because I feel that there can be some quite surprising improvements, especially whenever Giorgio Moroder's score has an important role to play.

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Last year was the 40th anniversary of American Gigolo and I think that Paramount and Criterion missed an opportunity to deliver a solid home video release of it. It would have been so much better to have American Gigolo restored in 4K and in the Criterion Collection than The Comfort of Strangers. The Paramount Presents line is another great destination for it as well. Also, Paul Schrader is still active, so why not use him while it is possible to gather plenty of meaningful content for such a definitive release? Hopefully, we will see one soon. RECOMMENDED, but only because the current release comes with a great price tag.