Klute (1971)

hyped garbage

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I knew this film appeared in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and I knew the leading actor and actress, and it was rated five out of five by critics, so I hoped something good, directed by Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men, Sophie's Choice, The Devil's Own). Basically Pennsylvania executive Tom Gruneman (Robert Milli) has disappeared, an obscene letter was found in his office, addressed to New York prostitute Bree Daniels (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Jane Fonda), who had received several similar letters from him. Six months of fruitless police work pass, an executive at Gruneman's company, Peter Cable (Charles Cioffi), hires family friend and detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) to investigate Gruneman's disappearance. Klute rents an apartment in the basement of Daniels' building, taps her phone, and follows her as she visits clients, she appears liberated by the freedom, working as a freelance call girl, but she often visits her Psychiatrist (Vivian Nathan), to talk of the emptiness of her life and that she wants to quit prostitution. Daniels refuses to answer questions that Klute has, he approaches again, revealing that he has been watching her, she does not recall Gruneman, she tells that two years ago one of her clients beat her, she cannot say for sure after seeing a photo of Gruneman. Daniels takes Klute to meet her former pimp, Frank Ligourin (Roy Scheider), he reveals that prostitute Jane McKenna passed the abusive client onto Bree, and also to prostitute Arlyn Page (Dorothy Tristan), McKenna committed suicide and Page turned to drugs and disappeared. Klute and Bree develop a romantic relationship, but she tells her psychiatrist she fears her feelings and wishes would mean her returning to "just feeling numb", she admits to Klute that being watched makes her deeply paranoid. They find Page, she tells that the abusive client was not Gruneman, but an older man, later Page is found dead in the water, Klute deduces the prostitute suicide and Gruneman's disappearance are connected, the abusive client will likely come for Bree next. Klute revisits Gruneman's contacts to find connections with the case, comparing the writing, the obscene letters are traced to Cable, who Klute has been meeting to report on his investigation, Klute asks Cable for $500 to buy the "black book" of the first suicidal prostitute, he is certain the book will reveal the identity of the abusive client. Cable corners Bree, revealing he sent her the letters, explaining that Gruneman interrupted him while he was attacking a prostitute, he attempted to frame Gruneman, and Cable admits to the killings, he also plays an audiotape he made while murdering Page. Cable attacks Bree, Klute rushes in, but it is unclear whether Cable jumped or was pushed out of the window, to his death, in the end, with Klute's help, Bree moves out of her apartment, but a voice-over with her psychiatrist reveals Bree fears domestic life, and it is likely she will return to talk again. Also starring Nathan George as Lieutenant Trask, Rita Gam as Trina, Morris Strassberg as Mr. Goldfarb, Anthony Holland as Actor's Agent, Richard B. Shull as Sugarman, Jean Stapleton as Goldfarb's Secretary and Shirley Stoler as Momma Reese. Sutherland is well suited to playing the gentle small-town detective, but Fonda is indeed the big draw of the film, and deserved her Oscar for the role of the call girl being stalked and unsure what direction to go in, it is a simple story, a hooker who is unsure of the difference between love and sex, she has a connection to a missing man and a homicidal maniac is on the loose, it has a suspenseful atmosphere almost all the way through, it is an interesting crime thriller. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. Very good!

I was never really all that big of a Jane Fonda fan, still if you are to see any movie of her's watch this 1971 picture called "Klute" as Jane glows and shines on screen in a best actress Oscar winning role. "Klute" is a tease film of suspense and mystery drama with themes of sex, lust, truth seeking and murder all of that is jammed into a plot that's a little hard to follow it can challenge a viewer so pay attention.Set in New York city the story centers around Bree(in one of Jane Fonda's best roles) who's a high class escort a call girl type who's life is full of secrets and it's ready to spin out of control, still Bree has wit and she's one sexy thing she's good at her job as her sessions with guys are like that of a socialite girlfriend type and to go with it she's blunt and outspoken with a sassy mouth. Her voice has been taped by a killer, so Bree had better watch out! Now enter detective John Klute(Donald Sutherland)who's hired as a private investigator to follow this case that involves a missing person and the murders of others. And along the way sparks of passion fly between him and Bree. You will be left asking questions who done it and wonder really what's going on as the film takes twist and turns. Overall really good picture of suspense, lust, and mystery that's carried by the performance of Jane Fonda.

We all like stories with happy endings, and what better ending could there be than the reclaiming of her life and dignity by a "working girl", a prostitute who slept with thousands of men as a source of income while renouncing the very notion of true love? One fateful day, a dashing detective arrives on the scene to investigate a missing person case and changes her life forever. The plot is suspenseful and well-paced, but more than anything else, Klute offers a very positive view of a prostitute, played by Jane Fonda, who we learn is really an aspiring actress. She hasn't had much luck scoring modeling or theater gigs, so what's a girl to do? Why become a prostitute, of course! Is this how it happens? I know that aspiring actresses are sometimes lured into making porn flicks, tricked into believing that doing so might open doors to the mainstream movie world. But do thespians become hookers? Maybe a few of them do. My impression is that they are more likely to become waitresses and the like. It's true that prostitutes earn more money, but is that enough of a lure to forsake the prospect of intimacy in a normal relationship?No matter. Dreams do come true. Knights in shining armor exist who will overlook years of a woman's turning tricks in exchange for hooking up with them. Donald Sutherland seems pretty sincere, but does this ever really happen in reality? I have to ask.

Donald Sutherland's break out role was Mash - just a short time before this one. This film did not hurt. His role as John Klute is intriguing complex and sort of strange in a way. Jane Fonda might be in her best role as a lady in the oldest profession. This 1970's film sticks out as that period as Jane's straight hair style here is definitely that period. The world is more innocent here than it is NOW as this story is in the AT&T phone world. Things have changed since.Fonda's aspiring actress who goes into hooking as an expansion of her acting role whenever she needs a fast $50 bucks which rhymes with what she does for $50. This is the world before AIDS/HIV , the world during the empowerment of women. Except in 1971 these were current things and Fonda character is portrayed as a woman in control of her making a living and loving.She dates mostly older men as an escort and only does the guys she chooses too. She fakes orgasms with the best of them. Nothing disturbs her straight hair except John Klute who is trying to find out if she is involved in a series of gruesome murders .