Alan Pakula brought a sinister sense of unease to the detective/political thriller genre in the 1970s, most notably in 1976’s All the President’s Men, which recreated the Watergate scandal with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Klute, released in 1971, is a predecessor to David Fincher’s Seven and Zodiac, a tightly wound story of a prostitute (Jane Fonda) being hunted by a serial killer. Donald Sutherland stars as the good-hearted investigator who takes a protective stance towards Fonda’s character but finds a conspiracy at high levels of power. A typical thriller scenario, yes, but far darker and creepier than the campy, brightly lit aesthetics of such films from the '60s.
Klute (1971)
Friday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 11
6 p.m.
Siskel Film Center
164 North State St., Chicago
Tickets $13
