A lost Stanley Kuberick masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2011)

Stanley Kuberick's Barry Lyndon is one of his many masterpieces. Its not like any film that he's ever done. Never before has he gone so in-depth with character. Redmond Barry,like some of Kuberick's other heroes, is an unlikably likable character.
The film chronicles the life of Redmond Barry(Ryan O'Neill), a young Irishman whose life changes after he falls in love with his cousin, duels her fiancé out of jealousy, and kills him, or, thats what he thinks, and goes on the run.
Redmond becomes a British soldier, than an Irish soldier, than a spy, and after a while his success grows and grows until he meets the wife of a duke, and marries her. And things change for him there too. His stepson loathes him, and he gains respect from everyone else, and becomes Barry Lyndon.
Watching Barry Lyndon, I wasn't sure what direction this film was going in. And I suppose that never a bad thing. Here, its a strength. Though Barry Lyndon is 3 hours long, you can't help but wonder whats going to happen next. And the last half hour is especially thrilling.
O'Neill's performance here is very underrated. Though this isn't exactly a film that people look back on, I have never heard many people rave about his performance. O'Neill gets under your skin at times, but yet you still root for him, even though he is a terrible person.
Despite its length, Barry Lyndon is a strong and gripping film, especially in the climax. In the climax, anything goes. And anything went. Barry Lyndon is a lost hit, and I hope that somebody will dig it up again someday.
A