A detective thriller par excellence.
John Klute is a small town, Pennsylvania detective who decides to investigate his friend's disappearance after the police have failed to come up with anything. His first port of call is Bree Daniels, a prostitute who seemingly received explicit letters from the friend.
Klute enters into the seedy underbelly of New York to try and track down his friend with the help of Miss Daniels. She tries to tempt him into the temptations of the big city, but in turn he shows her another side of the male sex she has come to know and loathe.
Jane Fonda is just sublime in this film. Ignore the eponymous title. this is the story of Bree. She has survived the game and is desperate to get out. Her scenes with her analyst are great, juxtaposed with her scenes getting to know and falling for Klute.
The detective story does take a back seat to the development of their relationship, but not to the detriment of the thriller.
Thrill indeed this does. The actual perpetrator is revealed quite early, but it is well perceived. It becomes more of a case of "what will happen?" rather than a "whodunit?"
New York is shot to perfection. It is gloriously noir in its restricted pallet.
Sublimely shot. Excellent direction. Donald Sutherland is great as the eponymous lead, but this is Fonda's film and rightly so. Well deserved Oscar.
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