Why was Mrs. Rheiman killed?
I like to know why they had to kill this woman.Any ideas?
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i think that is incorrect. mr rhieman wanted to kill mrs rheiman but needed an alibi. leon suggested julian and that is why julian was brought to the house for a "gig"
share That makes some sense. By if Rhieman wanted her killed, why not just just have the blond guy do it and forget the frame up.
I mean a lot of things had to go right and the police work had to be pretty awful to get away with something like this. For example how did Rheiman know where Julian was going to be two days after he met him, when the murder took place?
He could have been on a plane to San Francisco (proving his innocence) for all he knew. As it was he was with the older woman at her home but she wouldn't corroborate that fact.
As for why Rheiman wanted his wife killed? Who knows, it could have been anything including he was a nut.
Very interesting questions and to the point.
Which gives me the chance to ask something that I never quite got although I have seen the movie numerous times.
When Michelle asks Julian "Weren't we together that night of the murder?" does she literally mean it or does she just wish they were,in the same sense that Julian replies "No baby,I wish we were"?
Was Julian with the older woman or with Michelle?Has it being made any clear?
About Rheiman's wish for his wife's death,it's a point that I have thought myself quite a bit.
I can't say for sure that he planned her killing.
He indeed treats her like a zero but this is probably part of the game to him.
I think that the blonde guy just went too far and it turned out bad and after that,Julian was the most appropriate victim to use.
I can suggest that since Leon had the idea to frame Julian,therefore he could put all pieces together and set the trap,including information about Julian's whereabouts,although it's not apparent.
The movie plot is meant to be a bit ambiguous,I think.
What matters is Michelle's self-sacrifice in the end.
The motivation for Michelle's line: Weren't we together the night of the murder? is still mysterious to me. I've never been able to determine whether she says this because:
1. She is so thoroughly convinced of Julian's innocence that she is suggesting she is willing to offer an alibi (and ultimately does) if he wants her to.
2. She honestly doesn't recall the exact time frame, and thinks they may have actually been together that night.
Regarding Julian's whereabouts the night of the murder, it seemed very clear to me that he was with Lisa. I've always assumed his testimony to the police was truthful: he went antique shopping at Sotheby, Park, Bennett with her early in the evening, then they went back to Lisa's house. To someone in his profession, discretion and client privacy is essential. He never would have violated that confidence and risked both his income and exposing Lisa's infidelty by going to her front door unless he were desperate and absolutely certain that his story was truthful.
Of course, Lisa simply couldn't validate the alibi, because it would expose her tryst with Julian, although the demeanor of her husband when Julian visits is one of "knowing, but pretending not to know" that she is being unfaithful. Her husband is even willing to lie and say he was home that night in order to avoid possibly publicly exposing any tawdry unpleasantness.
The fact that Julian's alibi is never actually proven airtight by another party also leaves an opening for plot ambiguity for those viewers seeking it---much like William Friedkin's Cruising, released the same year----did he really do it or didn't he?
As for Judy Rheiman's murder, there was no specific motive outlined, but I tend to agree with Mark85. I take the plot line as specualted by the police and explained by Julian at face value, without interpretation. I don't think the murder was pre-meditated or initially Leon had it in for Julian, although Leon never liked Julian. Julian was a last-minute fill in for one of Leon's boys on the first gig. On the second gig, Leon's boyfriend went too far with the sadism and accidently killed her. However, Leon didn't want to get himself, his boyfriend, or Rheiman involved in murder charges. Framing Julian served double-duty for Leon. It was a convenient way to get the guilty parties off the hook, and it gave him revenge on someone he hated to begin with.
I completely agree with you,glennh69.
Especially with your point about the open plot concerning Julian's alibi.
Indeed,I spent hours and hours trying to figure out if he was with Lisa or Michelle during the murder night.
And you know,there was a film critic in Greece who ironically called Julian's character,"chivalrous " gigolo,his point being that a man in his profession would n't hesitate to blackmail or threat in order to save himself from trouble.
But his actions were noble instead;that's Schrader's intention.
He accepts Michelle in his private home,not as a client but as a guest.
He seeks Lisa's help out of desperation and he calls for friendship,but Lisa is too professional,so is her husband.
Could it be that he left Lisa early and then Michelle came and so,he didn't want to expose Michelle and chose to select Lisa as his alibi but he only proved his own guilt?Just a suggestion..
And yes,his first visit to Rheiman's house was actually a favor to Leon.
But this served as a good basis for trap in the future.
One more ambiguous point is Leon's hatred for Julian,which is hidden but runs very deep.
I personally(and the director seems to agree)think that Leon's feelings against Julian are the ones of a wounded honosexual who doesn't get what he wants and acts retaliatory.
He was with Lisa, who would rather let him rot in jail than tell the truth and expose the fact that she was with a prostitute. Michelle lies to provide him an alibi because she loves him and doesn't believe he killed Mrs. Rheiman.
shareis it not theoretically possibly that julian still killed mrs rheiman???
"He's in town with a few days to kill"
Julian was asked to go to the Rheiman house to establish a motive for the police to follow. Leon and Mr. Rheiman had this idea from the start. Leon was hoping th police would think this,
"You did a trick on Tuesday, cased the joint, came back two days later stole some money and jewels and murdered Judy Rheiman when she found you in the house."
That was the motive Leon planted for the cops. As for how did they know where Julian would be 2 later on the night of the murder.....what else would a high priced gigolo being doing at night? He was having an affair with a rich women who would never admit to cheating on her husband. None of Julians clients would ever back him up.
Leon knew Julian was easy to frame and Rheiman paid him handsomely to pull off the murder. That is why Leon said to Julian "It don't make no diference how much Julian because the other side will always pay more."
Rheiman said "Now slap her, Slap that *beep* which indicates to me he liked to beat his wife and may have gone too far that evening after Julian left.
"COME ON MAKE A MOVE!!!!!!!!!" - Dutch
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I thought maybe Hutton killed her. Which was why she said she was positive Gere didn't do it. Because she wanted him to herself!
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