American Gigolo (1980)

American Gigolo is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama thriller film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story of a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife (Hutton), while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.

The film established Gere as a leading man, and was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to include frontal male nudity from its main star. It is marked by its Golden Globe–nominated musical score, composed by Giorgio Moroder, and number-one single "Call Me" by Blondie. Schrader considers it one of four similar films, which he calls "double bookends": Taxi Driver, bookended by Light Sleeper, and American Gigolo bookended by The Walker.