A care-free call girl named Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) seems to be the only connection to a strange case of a missing man. Small-town detective John Klute is assigned the case, as he is a personal friend of the man. He is a mixture of lone cop and private eye- as he has been hired privately by the family. His trail leads him to New York City's seedy underground world of high class hookers, pimps, and drug addicts. Which is where he meets Bree. Knowing full well that she will probably refuse to help, Klute taps Bree's phone to gather evidence to blackmail her into helping him. But he soons discovers that Bree has been getting terrifying phone calls from an obviously disturbed man, and this person maybe connected to the disappearance of his friend.
Alan J. Pakula created one of the most memorable films of the 70s with "Klute". It's a nifty suspense thriller with stunning acting and character study. Sutherland is quietly haunting as Detective Klute, and equally holds his own against the unbelievable Fonda. New York City itself becomes a huge character in "Klute", it adds grit and realism to the film. "Klute" is a mystery that almost ventures into downright terror at times. The scene where Fonda tries to seduce Klute and he quietly realizes a man is on the roof spying through the skylight is quite chilling. Michael Small's utterly creepy score only adds to the suspense. You can see this film being an obvious influence on Brian DePalma, especially in "Dressed To Kill".
Jane Fonda delivers one of my favorite performances of her career as call-girl Bree. Fonda's performance is truly one to behold, and deserves to be seen. Oddly, the film itself should have just been called "Bree", instead of "Klute". Fonda simply owns this movie. It's a wonderfully nuanced performance, and that's no offense intended towards Donald Sutherland. He is sensational as he always is and perfectly compliments Jane. But this is Fonda's movie, plain and simple.
"Klute" is ranked #531 on the list of 1001 FILMS YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE.
