American Gigolo

American Gigolo is the 1980 crime romance from acclaimed writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver). Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a male Los Angeles prostitute who makes his living having sex with wealthy women for money. It pays well as he lives in an upscale apartment, drives a Mercedes SL, wears clothes by Armani and has expensive tastes in hi-fi equipment. Julian, however, is a tart without a heart; he is a selfish and superficial man who lacks any affection for the women he sleeps with, seeing them only as a source of income, until he meets Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), the unhappily married wife of a rising politician. Michelle becomes a regular client and begins to develop deeper feelings for him. Julian learns that another of his clients, the wife of a wealthy financier, has been murdered. To make matters worse, the police regard him as a prime suspect and he is unable to provide an alibi. He realizes that he is being framed to protect the real murderer and is forced to go on the run to discover who is responsible.