American Gigolo 4K UHD Review: Pretty Man

American Gigolo was a blind spot for me so I’m glad I finally saw it. It was good and made me wonder if anyone brought it up to Richard Gere when he was promoting Pretty Woman. The rom-com was even a reunion between Gere and Hector Elizondo!

This was probably more like the original Three Thousand version of Pretty Woman where it shows the darker side of sex work. The framing him for murder is a Hollywood convention, but having to deal with clients who like it rough is a genuine struggle. But, it all shows the value of sex work because he really does make clients feel good.

The 4K UHD from Arrow preserves all the grain so I felt like I was watching a film print back in 1980. You do see the detail in all the threads of Gere’s Armani shoots. Some colored lighting is effective, like the red light in the restaurant and purply smoggy sky. Window shadows do make some nice strong lines in all the interiors.

New interviews include three biggies. Writer/director Paul Schrader discusses John Travolta backing out and getting Gere just in time. Elizondo gives a 10 minute recap of his whole career, which is impressive considering his resume. It takes Bill Duke 15, but he also goes past Gigolo to address the Menace II Society quote he still hears from fans to this day.

Editor Richard Halsey describes a deleted scene and another scene he forced Schrader to loop because production sound was so bad. The camera operator King Baggot also gives his family’s career in 25 minutes. Baggot’s includes a section on advising the police on the Sharon Tate murder so that gets serious.

Veteran music supervisor since 2009 and DJ Dan Wilcox explains the Giorgio Moroder/Blondie collaboration and the politics that prevent future collars. Professor Jennifer Clark analyzes the fashion and masculinity of the film. A new commentary by film critic Adrian Martin gives a critical analysis of both the movie’s themes and its filmmaking.