AMERICAN GIGOLO
1980,
Paramount,
117 min,
USA,
Dir: Paul Schrader
Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a suave, Armani-clad prostitute embroiled in a steamy affair with a senator’s wife (Lauren Hutton) when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of one of his previous clients. Helmed by RAGING BULL scribe Paul Schrader, this stylish, ’80s-chic crime drama is driven by Gere’s layered portrait of the vulnerable, hopelessly empty playboy. “Call Me,” the endlessly catchy Blondie theme song written for the film, is both a literal reference to the protagonist’s work as a callboy and an allusion to the brilliantly rendered, desperate yearning for human connection that underlies practically every relationship in this seminal film.