Wyatts mama
New member
Just watching some of this on ITV3.
A very, very underrated movie IMO.
It's always percieved as some sort of superficial, style-over-substance Gere vehicle, and the Blondie/Giorgio Moroder soundtrack, which was prevelant in the charts at the time, seemed to cement the movies reputation as such.
Of course, because the movie was based around the notion of Gere as a gigolo wearing stylish clothes and looking cool and smooth...many could be forgiven for thinking there was no substance here.
But it's actually a pretty hard-hitting, adult, controversial political thriller...once you strip away the sheen and veneer of the movie, there is actually a pretty complex and involving plot going on.
I can remember watching it for the first time in 1981, and being pretty taken aback at the scene near the beginning where Gere is sent to a Senator's house to 'service' his wife while he watches...and the senator insisting he gets rough with his wife and says 'turn her over...now...slap that c**t!'.
It was pretty hard hitting back then...the use of the C word was extremely rare, and to hear it in this movie led you to believe that this was not going to be a movie about Gere wearting nice clothes and sleeping with women.
Gere, a high class, expensive and professional gigolo, is framed for the murder of a politicians wife.
And the film goes to great lengths to establish his character, the minutae of his profession, lingering on his wardrobe, his seduction techniques etc.
And I believe that this is where the film is deceptively clever, in setting the character up as the coolest person ever...hanRABome, rich, suave, sophisticated, irresistable, cool, confident etc.
Which makes his fall from grace all the more palpable.
I love Bill Duke's character (more well known for Predator)...that quiet, whispering, yet menacing tone that he has...
When Gere begs him for help and asks why he framed him...
'Because you...you were frameable Julian...ah nevah liked you much myself...now get ooouuuutttttttt'.'
A very, very underrated movie IMO.
It's always percieved as some sort of superficial, style-over-substance Gere vehicle, and the Blondie/Giorgio Moroder soundtrack, which was prevelant in the charts at the time, seemed to cement the movies reputation as such.
Of course, because the movie was based around the notion of Gere as a gigolo wearing stylish clothes and looking cool and smooth...many could be forgiven for thinking there was no substance here.
But it's actually a pretty hard-hitting, adult, controversial political thriller...once you strip away the sheen and veneer of the movie, there is actually a pretty complex and involving plot going on.
I can remember watching it for the first time in 1981, and being pretty taken aback at the scene near the beginning where Gere is sent to a Senator's house to 'service' his wife while he watches...and the senator insisting he gets rough with his wife and says 'turn her over...now...slap that c**t!'.
It was pretty hard hitting back then...the use of the C word was extremely rare, and to hear it in this movie led you to believe that this was not going to be a movie about Gere wearting nice clothes and sleeping with women.
Gere, a high class, expensive and professional gigolo, is framed for the murder of a politicians wife.
And the film goes to great lengths to establish his character, the minutae of his profession, lingering on his wardrobe, his seduction techniques etc.
And I believe that this is where the film is deceptively clever, in setting the character up as the coolest person ever...hanRABome, rich, suave, sophisticated, irresistable, cool, confident etc.
Which makes his fall from grace all the more palpable.
I love Bill Duke's character (more well known for Predator)...that quiet, whispering, yet menacing tone that he has...
When Gere begs him for help and asks why he framed him...
'Because you...you were frameable Julian...ah nevah liked you much myself...now get ooouuuutttttttt'.'