Review of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Ollie W — 04 Dec 2011

Kubrick's fantastic 1999 release explores the complicated nature of married life and infidelity and does it with the typical Kubrickan approach, ultimately giving us his final disturbing and dream-like visionary classic.

'Eyes Wide Shut' sees a wonderful Tom Cruise fleeing into the night after his wife, Nicole Kidman's, abrupt revelation, the characters he meets and the places he visits are as stunning and original as any Kubrick has done previously. At a steady, beautiful pace, Kubricks picture moves from one stunning set piece to the next, exploring jealousy and sexuality uncompromisingly, and culminating in a scene that undoubtedly anchors the film, now infamously known as the "Masked Ball" scene, which is stunningly realised in beautiful low lighting and as always, fantastically scored. The fact that critics widely preoccupied themselves with rumours of plot developments and expectations of a star-studded pornographic sex-fest at the time of it's belated release, shows that almost everyone missed the point of Kubrick's picture then, and evidently still do, if most of the reviews on this site are to believed.

Undoubtedly this is Kubrick's final masterpiece, an epic and technically prophetic filmmaking achievement and an utterly satisfying and powerfully disturbing viewing experience. Farewell old friend, rest in peace.