A Scoundrel's Tale

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2018)

You have to hand it to Stanley Kubrick. The man has range. All of his movies are acclaimed classics, many of them are regarded among the best in their respective genres and they cover a truly astonishing range of different subject matters. With this movie that being a period costume drama.
Barry Lyndon is at its heart a picaresque story, which is a Spanish novel type where the story follows a young man, often coming from a lower social class, trying to improve his lot in life, often mixing with the high class aristocrats. The style is often satirical, even comedic, despite the grim happenings and bleak tone. And that's essentially this film in a nutshell, though I certainly hope that in the original novels, the main characters are more likable.
Yet, while I do not like Barry Lyndon (Ryan O'Neal) as a human being, the whole film is still very watchable. The set pieces are stunning - with Kubrick trying to mimic the paintings of the era and largely succeeding - the costuming is great and while the plot is very slow and deliberate, it's still endlessly intriguing. The events are also refreshingly diverse, with Barry experiencing very different kinds of adventures throughout his life.
Is it Kubrick's best work? I don't think so. The technical aspects are once again groundbreaking, the depth of detail is astonishing and the sheer mastery of his craft is evident in every frame. But, the story just isn't as unique as in his other films. I'm more impressed by the technicalities than I am with the so-called meat of the film.
Very much worth a watch even still, don't get me wrong.