Grossly underestimated and typically Kubrikian masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2005)

Just after we watched "Eyes Wide Shut" a few years ago, I told my wife that it was very much a "man's movie". This is not intended to be a sexist comment, but I believe that in order to appreciate the several typically Kubrikian nuances in the film, one has to watch it through Tom Cruise's eyes and one can only do this effectively if one is a man....like Cruise. With Kubrick, the sum of the parts does not always make an effective whole, but it somehow does so in this film. The direction is very much "in the face" as it always is with Kubrick and the various supporting characters - like the shopowner's nubile Lolita-like daughter - somehow convey a hidden message that is for receptive ears only. But to my mind, the best scene in the film is the early morning street sequence after the party where Cruise realises that he is being followed by the bald man. There is a hidden menace in the air that can only be appreciated if you put yourself in Cruise's shoes. For this and several other sequences, this is a very unusual film that needs to be seen and enjoyed in the right mood, preferably on one's own.