Richard Gere romped his way to stardom in this glossy and controversial (for its time) story of a Los Angeles stud who services the bored wives of Beverly Hills. His detached view of life is threatened, however, when he gets caught up in murder and politics. This is probably still director Paul Schrader's biggest hit but, sadly, it hasn't aged well, and it now comes across as a beautifully designed but ultimately transparent walk on the wild side.

Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.