Klute (1971)

Klute
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Written by Andy Lewis and David E. Lewis
1971/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Bree Daniel: Don’t feel bad about losing your virtue. I sort of knew you would. Everybody always does.

Jane Fonda inhabits her role as a super-smart call girl with a problem in this solid thriller.

John Klute (Donald Sutherland) is a private detective in small town USA.  The family of a missing man hire Klute to find out what became of him in New York City.  The only link to the crime is Bree Daniel (Fonda) a call girl who received a typewritten obscene letter purporting to be from the man and disturbing phone calls from an unknown source.  Bree has other problems.  She is an aspiring actress who is not finding work without experience and can’t get experience without work.  She is seeing a therapist to try to figure out why she cannot seem to leave the life, which she enjoys because of the control she feels she has over her clients.

Initially, Bree considers Klute to be a hick, a meddler, and a “cop”.  But gradually as the killer seems to close in, the two tentatively begin a romance.  I love the ending to this movie.  With Roy Scheider as Bree’s former pimp/boyfriend.

Fonda’s performance really deserves to be seen.  It’s also a nice gritty entertaining thriller.