Klute (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Alan J. Pakula's brilliantly acted 1971 thriller, 'Klute' is a doozy of a motion picture. Sharing crackling chemistry & exuding off-beat sex appeal, Donald Sutherland & Jane Fonda scorch the big screen as the small-town private eye John Klute & the high-class Manhattanite 'call girl', Bree Daniel. John Klute is searching for a missing businessman and ... Bree is his only lead. After 6 months of inquiries, the cops still have no real clues about the disappearance of Pennsylvania lab engineer, Tom Gruneman (Robert Milli). So the boss at Tom Gruneman's company, Peter Cable (Charles Cioffi), finally hires family-friend detective Klute to investigate Gruneman's sudden disappearance; even though he has no real proficiency in missing persons cases.
Gruneman is Klute's old friend; so his investment in this case is heightened. The police reveal that an obscene typewritten letter was found in Gruneman's office; that prostitute Bree was addressed in said letter(!); and that she had received similar letters from him, prior. Klute & Bree get off to a rocky start when she initially refuses to speak to him, but over time, a haunting love affair unfolds. But after receiving mysterious phone calls & other odd goings-on, it becomes apparent that someone is tormenting & stalking Bree. They believe the key to Tom's disappearance is a violent 'John' who once tried to kill Bree at the time when Tom disappeared ... but who she doesn't remember. A race to discover this man's identity before he tries to kill Bree again ensues.
Donald Sutherland is great, here; charismatic & entrancing to watch. And Jane Fonda rightfully won the Best Actress Academy Award for her masterful performance. She is seductive, enigmatic, & heavily researched the role with real prostitutes to get every nuance of what they 'do', down pat. Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider {having a big year with The French Connection, as well}, Jean Stapleton, Rita Gam & others play their supporting roles with complexity & flair. Also popping up are Sylvester Stallone as a disco patron & Teri Garr as a receptionist. Quite the varied cast.
Along with Fonda's win, this movie was nominated for Andy K. Lewis & David E. Lewis' Original Story & Screenplay for their sophisticated take on a pretty sordid fictional story. One funny note: 'Klute' is credited as being the 1st mainstream American film to utter the word "f*ck" in the script, ha. Now some argue that Alan J. Pakula - who would go on to make some of my favorite gritty thrillers like Presumed Innocent, Consenting Adults, & The Pelican Brief - deserved recognition for Best Director at the Oscars for his stylish & intense direction, but it was a packed year and, he was pretty new on the Hollywood scene. Thumbs up for Pakula & this film.
Gruneman is Klute's old friend; so his investment in this case is heightened. The police reveal that an obscene typewritten letter was found in Gruneman's office; that prostitute Bree was addressed in said letter(!); and that she had received similar letters from him, prior. Klute & Bree get off to a rocky start when she initially refuses to speak to him, but over time, a haunting love affair unfolds. But after receiving mysterious phone calls & other odd goings-on, it becomes apparent that someone is tormenting & stalking Bree. They believe the key to Tom's disappearance is a violent 'John' who once tried to kill Bree at the time when Tom disappeared ... but who she doesn't remember. A race to discover this man's identity before he tries to kill Bree again ensues.
Donald Sutherland is great, here; charismatic & entrancing to watch. And Jane Fonda rightfully won the Best Actress Academy Award for her masterful performance. She is seductive, enigmatic, & heavily researched the role with real prostitutes to get every nuance of what they 'do', down pat. Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider {having a big year with The French Connection, as well}, Jean Stapleton, Rita Gam & others play their supporting roles with complexity & flair. Also popping up are Sylvester Stallone as a disco patron & Teri Garr as a receptionist. Quite the varied cast.
Along with Fonda's win, this movie was nominated for Andy K. Lewis & David E. Lewis' Original Story & Screenplay for their sophisticated take on a pretty sordid fictional story. One funny note: 'Klute' is credited as being the 1st mainstream American film to utter the word "f*ck" in the script, ha. Now some argue that Alan J. Pakula - who would go on to make some of my favorite gritty thrillers like Presumed Innocent, Consenting Adults, & The Pelican Brief - deserved recognition for Best Director at the Oscars for his stylish & intense direction, but it was a packed year and, he was pretty new on the Hollywood scene. Thumbs up for Pakula & this film.