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Klute

Play trailer Poster for Klute R Released Jun 23, 1971 1h 54m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
This acclaimed thriller stars Jane Fonda as Bree Daniel, a New York City call girl who becomes enmeshed in an investigation into the disappearance of a business executive. Detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) is hired to follow Daniel, and eventually begins a romance with her, but it appears that he hasn't been the only person on her trail. When it becomes clear that Daniel is being targeted, it's up to her and Klute to figure out who is after her before it's too late.
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Klute

Klute

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Critics Consensus

Donald Sutherland is coolly commanding and Jane Fonda a force of nature in Klute, a cuttingly intelligent thriller that generates its most agonizing tension from its stars' repartee.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Reader As close to a classic as anything New Hollywood produced. Feb 18, 2020 Full Review David Robinson Financial Times What lifts it above its B-picture origins (and the pastiche is certainly conscious) is the style -- crisp, elliptical, only moderately arty -- of Alan J. Pakula's direction. Feb 12, 2020 Full Review Derek Malcolm Guardian This is done with remarkably little dialogue but with a tremendous sense of tension and atmosphere. Feb 12, 2020 Full Review Alan Jones Radio Times There's nail-biting suspense in spades, thanks to the atmospheric cinematography of Godfather cameraman Gordon Willis. Rated: 5/5 Aug 8, 2024 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film In cinema, thankfully, there are no absolutes and no easy answers. Sure, there are generalities but a great film, especially with a transcendent performance, can take those rules and tear them into a million pieces. Feb 21, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand It’s a cliché, but they simply don’t make thrillers like this anymore: smart, sharp, adult. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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julie b Klute is impeccably shot - every scene is meticulously crafted. This style combined with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland’s performances is what make it a compelling movie despite some writing/plot misses (the third act lost us for awhile). The trundle bed scene is peak cinema humor, and really liked the therapy monologues slowly revealed throughout. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/29/24 Full Review Kathy W A great film with one of Jane Fond’s best performances. I think you have to be of the times that this film was made to truly appreciate the artistic quality of it. It is smart, which is something you no longer see in films. It is a psychological study which is something the current generation of directors and screenwriters simply do not understand, nor to which they relate. It is not about flash over substance and the pace is slower than films today, to give you time to absorb and ponder, not to beat you over the head with optics and message. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Seth K It's a classic. Not a lot of dialogue - to the contrary almost mute performances by Donald Sutherland, love interest and detective and Vivian Nathan as Jane Fonda's psychiatrist. Excellent, atmospheric soundtrack as well. It feels, in many respects, as a template for the many psychological thrillers produced since its debut in 1971. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/12/24 Full Review Nicoletta M Good acting by Fonda, but why is it called Klute, it should have been called Bree - he has an almost secondary role, and we get to enjoy little of Sutherland’s acting chops. The worst parts are the editing and directing, which are tedious and disjointed and create a slow, dark, barely visible cacophony. The music is difficult to sit through, providing an atmosphere of danger and weirdness that never actually delivers. The culprit is revealed early and is dispatched with rather easily in the end. Yawn. This film could have been great, but it isn’t; it obviously wants to be a taut, cerebral, suspenseful thriller, but it’s much to do about nothing instead. Thin plot, poorly narrated, no evolution. There is little to it other than Bree’s personal issues discussed at length in her therapy sessions. Most of the reviews are very generous, probably due to Klute’s creators’ and actors’ clout - no pun intended. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/27/24 Full Review ed m This hasn't aged well. Slow. No real pay off. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Alec B The romance is a little unconvincing, but I like that the mystery/thriller stuff comes to a pretty believable conclusion. This is the perfect role for Fonda, allowing her to be both tough and vulnerable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Klute

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis This acclaimed thriller stars Jane Fonda as Bree Daniel, a New York City call girl who becomes enmeshed in an investigation into the disappearance of a business executive. Detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) is hired to follow Daniel, and eventually begins a romance with her, but it appears that he hasn't been the only person on her trail. When it becomes clear that Daniel is being targeted, it's up to her and Klute to figure out who is after her before it's too late.
Director
Alan J. Pakula
Producer
Alan J. Pakula
Screenwriter
Andy Lewis, David P. Lewis
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 23, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Scope (2.35:1)
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