Klute

Klute (1971)

Runtime: 114 minutes

Directed by: Alan J. Pakula

Starring: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider, Dorothy Tristan

From: Warner Bros.

This was a quality way for me to tip my hat to the late Donald Sutherland. I've known of this movie for years, it sounded like something up my alley and it frequently appears on Turner Classic Movies. Yet it took a death for me to finally check this out-via streaming rental.

Police officer turned private detective John Klute is hired to investigate the disappearance of a flawed businessman who met call girl Bree Daniel (Jane Fonda) in New York City. As he meets Bree, their relationship becomes complicated; the viewer soon realizes that the movie is centered around her, her struggles with being a failed actor so she has to act during her time with Johns-a job she doesn't enjoy anyhow-and how her relationship w/ Klute morphs as she assists him w/ the case. The crux of the film was not the case but rather a look at Bree and how the intrusion of this private eye from small-town Pennsylvania has thrown her world into turmoil, resulting in an existential crises.

The key for me with enjoying the film was not knowing what would happen, re.: the big relationship, the investigation and the seedy characters they meet along the way. However, I do have to mention Roy Sheider and the few scenes he has. For the sake of comedy, I do have to mention that he played a PIMP who eventually wore pimp clothing. It's not as hysterical as Harvey Keitel in Taxi Driver—then again, nothing will be as amazing as that look. That laugh was needed for me as this was a rather grim and somber movie which was not so oppressively ugly that it became miserable to experience. There was solid direction from Alan J. Pakula, the typically stunning cinematography from Gordon Willis & a quality jazz score from Michael Small that I've seen more than one proclaim belonged in a giallo-it was a movie I should have tackled long ago.

It's a motion picture where there is both long stretches of silence that work in context and a long static shot a few minutes long only focused on a character's face which is powerful. It made me wish movies were still made like this today. If you enjoy such 70's pictures (including the director's The Parallax View & All the President's Men) then for the great lead performances alone, this is well worth seeing.