Stars: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland
Jane Fonda gives a very good performance in this very mediocre movie. She's strong - yet vulnerable - and makes her prostitute character believable. But then there's the rest of the film. Its a long, predictable, sluggish thriller. No doubt "edgy" in 1971 (Wow, Jane Fonda is a Prostitute!) today it seems mannered and pretentious. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy. For instance:
What's your bag, Klute? What do you like? Are you a talker? A button freak? Maybe you like to get your chest walked around with high heeled shoes. Or maybe you get off wearing women's clothes. G**damned hypocrite squares!
And having cold, remote, Donald Sutherland as the "love interest" doesn't help.
BTW, the 1970's were a weird time for lead actors. It was anything goes. Men that had - or would've - been character actors or "the best friend" - now played the lead. You had ugly guys (Charles Bronson), old guys (Walter Matthau), wimpy guys (Dustin Hoffman), goofy guys (Eliot Gould) short guys (Al Pacino), and dull guys without much charisma (Roy Scheider, James Caan, Donald Sutherland). I don't know why it happened, but I do know Klute would've been better with Paul Newman.
Summary: A fine Jane Fonda performance but a dull film - it was hard going. For Jane Fonda fans only.
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