Kubrick's Best

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2018)

Having been a Kubrick fan for almost as long as I can remember being into films, this was a film I had always heard about, but was quite hard to find. Stories of it's gorgeous shots and wonderful characters and dialogue, not to mention it's slow, almost methodical, pacing convinced me that the big screen was the way to watch it. When the chance finally came around, I jumped at the opportunity, and wasn't disappointed.
What a film! Barry is at times funny, endearing and cruel, but always interesting. His rise, and subsequent fall, is perhaps the best that the rise and fall narrative has been done in film, the second half of the film eerily mirroring the events of the first. Neal's performance is terrific too, allowing us to draw many of our own conclusions about Barry, while also having enough about him to stand out as his own man. By the time the end of the film comes round, you can't help but feel for the man we've spent the last 3 hours with.
The length is also something that has it's importance. Many will see it and be put off, and in the hands of a lesser director it may be noticeable, but Kubrick takes us through this world so brilliantly, with stunning shot after stunning shot, and a story that is both satirical and celebratory. He shows the greed, pomposity and arrogance, while also acknowledging the beauty and elegance. Never before have I wanted to go back in time while watching a film the way I did here. I hardly even noticed the time going by, a testament to Kubrick's pacing, because I just wanted to spend as much time as possible in the fantastic locations, listening to the litany of characters. It is a lived in film, feeling like a world that existed prior to our viewing, and one that will exist long after we have left it.
If you ask me, this is Kubrick's masterpiece (and that is stiff competition it is up against). If you can, watch it on the big screen and marvel at the candlelit interiors, vast green landscapes and ostentatious estates. It is honestly like walking through an art museum - the painting like shots can be both intimate and grand at the same time. I've since re-watched it multiple times, and it is just as affecting on a small screen. If you've got three hours, sit and immerse yourself in this world... you won't regret it.