Review of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Joe C — 01 Sep 2015

**Unrated version**.

There was a 12 year gap between Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. And in 1999, Kubrick completed what he believed to be his greatest film, then died four days later. After Dr. Bill Hartford and his wife have a fight, she tells him in explicit detail of a time she almost cheated on him. Dejected, Bill slinks out into a dreamlike New York City night to clear his head. What follows is the most phantasmagoric and random series of events this side of an Alejandro Jodorowsky film. Non-fans complain of an overblown, overlong and pretentious effort, but no one can deny the beauty of the intricately designed sets and the haunting tonality. Tweaked, honed and modulated within an inch of its life, Kubrick's last film is one for appreciators of the truly unique. Provocative, metaphorical, stunningly gorgeous, spellbinding, endlessly interpretable and truly cinematic; I tell ya, I've seen some things in my life, but NEVER anything like this.