About this episode

The episode explores the film American Gigolo and its impact on 1980s cinema with insights from guest Michail Takach.

Bill and Kevin kick off a brand new season of Morally Offensive with American Giallo, a series exploring American thrillers from the 1970s through the 1990s that borrow the style, themes, and visual language of Italy’s legendary giallo films. Their first stop is American Gigolo (1980), Paul Schrader’s sleek and controversial neo-noir starring Richard Gere in the role that transformed him into an international star. Joining them is Milwaukee journalist and LGBTQ historian Michail Takach to examine how the film blends erotic thriller, crime drama, psychological character study, and high fashion into one of the defining American films of the early 1980s. The conversation explores Schrader’s Calvinist worldview, Giorgio Moroder’s groundbreaking electronic score, Dan Perri’s iconic title sequence, and the turbulent behind the scenes behind Blondie’s ”Call Me.” Along the way, Bill, Kevin, and Michail discuss how this film announced the style of the 1980s, the influence of Italian giallo on American filmmaking, masculinity, rampant consumerism, the cocaine hangover from the sexual revolution and the disco era homophobia in film, and why American Gigolo remains one of the most stylish…

More episodes of Morally Offensive

• American Gigolo (1980): Paul Schrader's Naked Man in a Room | Part 2 (American Giallo) · July 17, 2026 · 1h 22m
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