Great film, bad ending

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 2002)

As others have previously noted about Barry Lyndon, it is incredibly well made (special cameras had to be made to pick up the naturalistic lighting), and the soundtrack is fantastic. Also, although people complain about the running time and acting, I found that both the length and the characters really put you into the 18th Century and every scene in the film is perfectly paced and shot.
The only problem I have with it is that after investing time and emotion with Redmond Barry, and seeing him rise and fall through both armies and the class system, was that he doesn't get revenge on Lord Bullingdon,surely the most annoying character ever put on film. I appreciate that the film was about Barry's rise and fall, and a film doesn't have to have a happy ending to be great, but after watching the final duel between Barry and Lord Bullingdon I was disgusted.
PLOT SPOILERS
During the final duel Bullingdon misfires, giving Barry (a seasoned war veteran) the chance to kill him. Barry does not take his chance, thinking obviously that this would make a truce between the two, but Bullingdon again demands his satisfaction and shoots Barry in the leg which leads to amputation.
In the previous half hour Barry has lost his "friends", and his son, and I felt that this final blow could have been tempered if he had managed to have some kind of retribution against Bullingdon.
In comparison to other Kubrick movies this is not as good as "2001", or "Clockwork Orange", but is as good as "Eyes Wide Shut" and deserves to be more widely viewed.