Review of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Saba Z — 22 Jan 2011

Like many of Kubrick's pictures, this requires a great degree of patience, but this one perhaps more than most of his works. It's slow, like moving through cerebral molasses. As always, his shots are perfectly realized and executed, ever in charge of his camera.

Tom Cruise's sexual odyssey that traverses the twisted reaches of human sexual behavior and relationships is worth considering; his naivete when it comes to the assumed fidelity of his wife is a good caveat worth remembering for anyone in a relationship.

If you want a great last effort from Kubrick that makes you think and meditate, you've looked up the right picture. It most definitely is not near his best mainly because the slowness at times approaches tedium; of particular note is when Cruise and Kidman are smoking dope and talking about their marriage.

That scene takes FOREVER. However, this is more than made up for by the copious amounts of female nudity (and sadly, some male nudity as well). It's another interesting foray for Kubrick into yet another genre.

His erotic thriller is well-crafted and well-realized, with some minor tweaks that could have elevated it among the best in his oeuvre.