American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Skip this lackluster night on the town...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 20, 2024

American Gigolo, a present-day reimagining of the iconic 1980 film of the same name (which was directed by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Paul Schrader), follows Julian Kaye (Jon Bernthal), a man working to reclaim his life. Released from prison after a wrongful conviction, he must navigate relationships with his former lover (Gretchen Mol), his troubled mother and the people who betrayed him. While Julian struggles to reconcile his past with the man he has become, Detective Sunday (Rosie O'Donnell) seeks the truth about the murder that sent Julian to prison all those years ago, unearthing a much larger conspiracy along the way.

Perhaps one of the most telling glimpses into the new American Gigolo's foundational issues is this gem of a Facebook post from Paul Schrader, answering questions about his involvement with the series: "After the Showtime trailer appeared online I've been asked if I am involved. The answer is No. Some years ago I received a call from Paramount asking about remaking ‘American Gigolo’ as a series. I replied that I thought it was a terrible idea -- times had changed, internet porn had redefined male sex work, viruses, etc. I couldn't imagine Julian Kay working a Hen Party. (Scorsese and I had fought off similar attempts to redo Taxi Driver for years.) I thought that was the end of it. Then came another call saying Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount had the rights to redo AG without my consent. I said I would think about how such a show could be structured. No, the caller explained, they did not want my involvement. Here were my options: (1) take $50k and not be involved (2) take $0 and not be involved (3) threaten an expensive and futile lawsuit and not be involved. I took the $50k." He added, "I'm a great fan of John Bernthal and wish Gretchen Mol the best [but] I don't plan to watch the Showtime series. I don't think I could be objective about it and, even if I could, it's too much agita."

And so we come to the series' central issue. Paramount and Showtime weren't interested in the involvement of one of Hollywood's most renowned award-winning screenwriters. Odd but okay, maybe they had some really impressive ideas. After more than seven years of development hell, show-running duties had finally fallen to Ray Donovan's David Hollander in March 2020, shortly after securing Bernthal in the lead. Mol was cast in November 2020, the rest of the actors dropped into place by January 2021, and the show received a 10-episode order in June 2021. All's well that... wait, more problems? Yessir. Hollander got the axe mid-production in April of 2022 (after an on-set misconduct investigation) and his replacement exited the series three weeks later. Ouch. But no worries, American Gigolo premiered (relatively) on time in September 2022... only to be promptly cancelled in January 2023. Suffice to say, Julian's journey to the small screen was a mess.

So is the resulting show, sadly. Loosely picking up where the 1980 film left off (again, loosely), the series imagines a new Julian after a decade and a half in prison, emerging into the light of modern-day Los Angeles and almost immediately resuming his life as a sex worker. And he still has his name to clear and some big truths to learn about the frameup that landed him in jail. Sounds like the start of a scintillating, sizzling premium cable crime drama. Instead, Julian's return to civilization misses the entire point of the film. Judy Berman writes, "Released as the revolutionary, hedonistic ’70s were transitioning into the reactionary, materialistic ’80s, [the film] is a study in ambiguity. Schrader doesn’t just keep the murder mysterious; he also keeps us guessing about Julian’s backstory, motivations, even his sexual orientation. (Julian 2.0 comes off as extremely straight.) A stylish male sex worker made for a potent symbol at a time when feminism and gay liberation were challenging traditional roles in the bedroom." But here? We're handed a sleepy whodunnit about... I'm not sure. Nothing really? Tackle the evolution of sex work from the '80s to the present, or the new norm in male escorting, or anything. It has to be more interesting than what we get.

The series rests its weight on a top-notch cast, without a doubt, but it's also a cast who's cursed to deliver some of the dullest, most inane dialogue imaginable. Examples? "You need to feel it. Just feel it. Just stop running away from it. Maybe it fades." Or "You know, detective, that 'moving on'? Not so bad." Or "Nobody likes it when you say 'I can't talk about it.' And I've had to say it to pretty much everybody in my life." Or my absolute favorite, "If you just give him what he wants, he can't take it from you." Good God. And the story and plotting don't fare much better. American Gigolo stumbles early and often, the consequence of screenwriting that's clearly at odds with itself. Watching the show I could almost picture the arguments happening in the writer's room; the lack of consistent leadership; the confusion of a cast trying to create characters whose decisions don't quite add up; the apathy of a production fighting to cross the finish line rather than serve up must-see television.

Worse, the neo-noir style that makes it to screen is tropey as hell. American Gigolo isn't modern noir; it's playing at such things, poking around and attempting to evoke an aesthetic and a tone that was far more successful in Ray Donovan (despite its own problems). Bernthal nails the Driver-esque stoicism and Richard Gere charm that make up the new Julian Kay but, where to go from there? I suspect he was asking, because he's acting his heart out in each episode. But I also suspect the answers weren't forthcoming, or even known. Whether by direction, editing or production mishaps, Bernthal is a star in search of a cohesive vision, and its stead does his best to hold up his end of the deal. And while he has his critics, I'm not one. His work in the early seasons of The Walking Dead was at the center of some of the show's best scenes, and his more recent performance in We Own This City (watch that one post-haste) is downright gripping. Just try to look away. American Gigolo had all it needed to succeed, minus a script that gives us a reason to invest in the continuation of Julian's original story. It shouldn't be as hard as Hollander and his replacements make it, nor should it be as flat on the screen as it is. In the end, it's an unnecessary series that doesn't make a remotely strong argument as to why it should exist, much less live beyond a single season. Which it won't. Julian's final fate, it seems, lies in cancellation.

American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount's 1080p/AVC-encoded beauty at least looks the part. Sun-baked skin tones, nightlife golds and blues, furious oranges and reds, and deep black levels lend American Gigolo some much-needed neo-noir oomph. Delineation is on point, and shadows neither conceal or reveal more than they should, making for an image that exudes depth and dimensionality. Detail is excellent as well, with crisp edge definition and remarkably refined textures that lend pores, hair, stubble and other on-screen sex work subtleties a level of notable realism. Moreover, I didn't notice any telltale signs of significant banding or blocking, meaning the presentation is an efficiently encoded standout.

American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

American Gigolo's audio is a bit less impressive, if only because the show is such a somber, quiet affair most of the time. Leaning on the dialogue as if it were Shakespeare, the series isn't exactly an edge-of-your-seat whodunnit or one that offers up chase scenes, fist fights or showdowns. It's a talky, front-heavy affair. All of it is clean, clear and intelligible, but there's a slight lack of rear speaker engagement that makes for a few too many flat scenes. The soundfield itself is largely immersive in spite of such shortcomings, and the city sounds great when Julian exits a building or sits with a client in a crowded locale. LFE output is decent enough I suppose, though it doesn't have a lot of moments to prove itself more worthy, other than towards the end of the season when things become more tense and involving. Bottom line, the series' lossless track does its best with what it's given. It just isn't given as much as you might expect.

American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of American Gigolo: Season 1 doesn't include any substantial special features.

American Gigolo: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you want to spend any amount of time with Julian Kay, look to Bruckheimer and Schrader's 1980 film starring Richard Gere. Bernthal and Mol do their best to make the new American Gigolo work, but subpar screenwriting, chewy dialogue and a lack of direction and momentum lead to trouble throughout. And no actor, regardless of their skill, is capable of saving a show from itself. Paramount's Blu-ray release is better, so long as you're willing to look past the barebones supplemental package. The series' AV presentation is strong and captures each episode without issue. My take? Unless you're a huge fan of Bernthal, skip this one and spend your time with a more compelling show.