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 October 25, 2013

Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures-France. 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'll like me. I can tell.

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, Paul Schrader's American Gigolo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures-France.

Please note that the disc's main menu can be set in one of the following languages: English, Danish, German, Mandarin, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Benelux), Croatian, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Serbian, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Korean.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source, most likely a master that was used for different DVD releases of the film in different territories. Unsurprisingly, it is quite inconsistent. Small parts of the film have decent depth, but elsewhere detail and clarity are rather disappointing. Some of the daylight footage, in particular, looks quite soft. Light noise can also be seen throughout the entire film. Color reproduction is also not overly impressive. Saturation, in particular, can be far more convincing. The only positive is that there are no traces of problematic lab tinkering. To be perfectly clear, no recent attempts have been made to degrain or resharpen the high-definition transfer. As a result, even though the presentation is marred by various technical limitations, the film does have a somewhat decent organic look. Still, it can and should look far better on Blu-ray. For the record, there are some minor scratches and flecks that frequently pop up. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

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. For the record, Paramount pictures has provided 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 for the main feature.

The audio has pleasing depth and satisfying fluidity. Surround activity is extremely limited, but there is a decent range of nuanced dynamics. The dialog is stable and Giorgio Moroder's music is well balanced with it. For the record, there is no heavy background hiss, pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

American Gigolo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paul Schrader's American Gigolo is not universally liked, but I believe that together with Affliction it is the American director's best work. The style and atmosphere of the film are fantastic. This new French release of American Gigolo, however, is underwhelming. Had the film been remastered, it would have looked far better on Blu-ray. You should consider adding the Blu-ray to your collections only if you can find it on sale.