Lesser known Kubrick but worth seeing

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2020)

Everybody knows about The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and Full Metal Jacket - even if they haven't actually seen the movies. But I've never heard ANYONE talk about Barry Lyndon. I found out about the existence of the movie by browsing Kubrick's filmography on IMDB.
It's not that Barry Lyndon is bad. It's a spectacle that could as well be the most well known film of a director. But Kubrick's other films are even more famous, so they overshadow how good this one is too.
I like how Kubrick made different type of films and always tried to make a masterpiece of that specific style. Barry Lyndon is a historical epic that has visual appeal, interesting characters, and a story of a long and winding journey. It's easy to see that the film is based on a book, even though I haven't read it. It has a very literary style. By that I mean the overall pacing and length of the story, and also the dialogue has poetic tendencies. If you like long books that follow the adventures of the main character throughout different places and times, you'll probably love this film.
It's a little bit lengthy movie for my tastes but that's all right for this kind of film. I had a long and boring evening to spend with nothing else in mind so the movie had a fair chance to win my respect and it kind of did. I'm not going to watch it again very soon but it left some kind of lasting impression. I'll probably watch it again at some point and then possibly rate even higher.