MovieChat Forums > Klute (1971) Discussion > Kind of a plot hole (SPOILER)

Kind of a plot hole (SPOILER)

posted 13 years ago by cookiela2001
7 replies | jump to latest

How does Klute get into the dress factory at the climax, when the place is closed for the night?

I presume the killer was trailing Bree, and watched what floor the elevator went to, then followed her and hid among the mannequins. (Which, okay, is a bit of a stretch, but doable if a criminal puts their mind to it.) (At least the place is unlocked at that point.)

But then the employees we've seen leave, and for some reason they think it's fine to let a stranger stay behind to use the phone while they're on their way out.

So, are we to presume that they left the door unlocked for Bree to let herself out? How else would Klute get in to save her? WHY WOULD ANY BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY IN NYC, DO THIS???

[–] mamiwata 13 years ago

For the same reason that they left the factory with a stranger (Bree) in there. You are right that it doesn't make sense. It sets up a moody sequence of scenes, but there's no indication that the secretary or "junior" would have just walked out and left her in there.

[–] rrb 13 years ago

"How does Klute get into the dress factory at the climax..."

The same way he got in when he observed her with Goldfarb Sr. at night, earlier in the film. The building probably had a security person at the street level, who would've let Klute in after seeing his badge. Peter Cable would've been smart enough to talk his way in by claiming he knew Bree or Goldfarb. Either way, it's not important enough to spell out for the audience. It's merely the kind of thing that an anal person would pick on -- certainly not a "plot hole".

[–] cookiela2001 12 years ago

<< The building probably had a security person at the street level, who would've let Klute in after seeing his badge. >>

Private detectives carry badges?
.

[–] L0GAN5 12 years ago

He wasn't a private dick, he was a small town sheriff who had taken time off to track down his friend. He would have had a badge albeit for another jurisdiction, but he probably just flashed it and got in.

[–] renatom1 11 years ago

My guess is Jean Stapleton's character suspected Bree was a call girl. Secretaries usually know a lot more about their bosses than you think. She probably figured Bree had come over for a private session with Mr. Goldfarb, and she knew better than to ask questions. I mean, think about it: a young, attractive woman claims she is a good friend of an old man, and old man who, according to the secretary, works real hard and hardly has a social life. What would you think? So the secretary just left Bree in the office with the door unlocked, so she could leave whenever she wanted. That is how both Klute and the killer got in.

[–] henrimaine 9 years ago

I agree that the movie didn't provide a reasonable explanation as how Bree was left alone in the factory. Sure, movies don't have to explain every last detail. But the problem is that such scenes can create confusion in a viewer. I can imagine a viewer wondering: Wait a minute, why is she alone in the factory? how did she get there? did she come back afterwards? is some of the workers still there?

[–] L0GAN5 9 years ago

It's probably not that relevant. Bree would often visit the factory after hours to service Goldfarbb so I think we can assume she had some kind of access, either a key, or the personnel knew enough to not ask questions. Klute was a cop, and Peter Cable was a criminal. It doesn't have to be realistic, it just has to be plausible that they all obtained access in some way.