Melodrama bordering on trite exploitation film,
American Gigolo survives almost solely on its interesting visual style and its "fringe" factor (that being the exploits of a high-class male prostitute). The slightly regurgitated story line of an accused searching for those that are taking every measure to set him up for murder has its moments of eye-rolling and laughable dialogue but somehow performances by Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton makes it a fairly enjoyable and visually appealing film.