A riveting dive into sexual depravity

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 1999)

Okay, I'll confess now. I'm a diehard Kubrick fan. I knew I was going to like this film before I knew it existed. Even so, this movie did not disappoint.
First off, Cruise and Kidman have the comfortable married thing down cold. Many of the subtleties and nuances in their common discourse may be lost, however, on those without any marital experience. No one will miss the sexual tension brought on by the first party they attend together (although "together" may not be the right word, as they spend nearly every minute of it apart). Every giggle from Kidman, every smile from Cruise, makes the taboo of marital infidelity so much more real. Unlike the cartoon characters of soaps, these characters have feelings for each other in addition to the animalistic desires (often for those other than our spouses) that cause Man's ultimate demise. That love for each other makes the fall all the more traumatic and, in this film, dramatic, as you have little idea what will happen next.
After Kidman lights the powderkeg that will become Cruise's decent into sexual depravity, the viewer has to wonder who the victim is here. Is it the faithful, though flirtatious, wife who merely fantasizes about infidelity? Or is it the naive, unattentive husband, driven into a libidinous stupor by the vitriolic fantasies to which his wife subjects him? Whomever one chooses, this film takes the viewer on a phantasmagoric journey through the minefield which is human sexuality -- one where not only the flesh of one partner is at stake, but the soul of a marriage as well.