Review of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Tom R — 07 Jul 2013

Okay, so first let me admit, that this was indeed Stanley Kubricks least successful film. Some critics basically took the film onboard and dismissed it straight away. However, Eyes Wide Shut is still in my opinion an artistic and poetic film about seduction that must be seen to be appreciated.

The film has amazing lighting and compositions, the artistry is amazing, the layout of the film alone is beautiful and the musical scores are chilling. It's perfectly constructed and that's what keeps it all together.

A film that deals with seduction, guilt and suburban family life and murder. It tackles many subjects. The thing that strikes me most about this film is the fact that it just has a dreamy atmosphere. It's basically like you are in hypnosis from watching it. It's a 250 minute hypnotic voyage, which does make it become quite tiresome in a way for some people, especially since the story alone isn't told in a Hollywood style landscape. However, I remained glued to the screen simply because of the films detail and uniqueness.

Nicole Kidman isn't the best actress, but she really surprised me in this one. Her performance in this film, especially with the monolgues are pretty impressive. She committed and I believe this is her finest performance. Stanley Kubrick must've seen something in her in order to cast her as the lead in his final film. Tom Cruise delivers somewhat of a provocative performance as he played his part well.

Eyes Wide Shut is haunting, provocative, poetic, truthful, brutal, unique, and in some ways, brilliant. Although not considered a masterpiece, such as A Clockwork Orange or Dr Strangelove, and certainly not an epic, such as Spartacus or Paths Of Glory, this film really stands on its own premise. I believe Lolita was actually Kubricks first experiment in making a film based on sex, and although Eyes Wide Shut doesn't compare to Lolita in terms of influence and notability, I was still glad to see Kubrick revisit the subject 37 years later...

In regards to all the talk about Eyes Wide Shut essentially being a film about the Illuminati, it's just really all speculation. It's really a strange coincidence Kubrick died 3 or 4 days after the film was released, but whether you believe the film is about the Illuminati or not, the film on it's own merit is brilliant. It shouldn't be judged on the so called "underlying themes" it represents, but judged on the way it was masterfully directed. 4/5.