Kubrick has done it again - almost

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2000)

'Eyes Wide Shut' is a dense film. I'm not quite sure what means exactly. It's just the feeling you have after you've seen it. The atmosphere in this film is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Even in the great halls of the ceremonial palaces, the thick atmosphere manages to fill every nook and cranny. It's incredibly engrossing.
As an example, consider the scene, where Alice (Nicole Kidman) and William (Tom Cruise) are kissing in front of a mirror in the beginning of the film. Alice is looking at herself in a horny, bad girl way. The light is orange. 'Baby did a bad bad thing' is blaring in the background. It's incredible. If you've seen it, you know what I mean.
Stanley Kubrick was one of the great directors. We all know this. His choice of musical score, lighting, camera angles were as effective as they were bold. Where this film fails to reach the heights of 'Dr. Strangelove','Full Metal Jacket','Clockwork Orange' and the other great Kubrick films, is in the plot. The direction is flawless. The acting, especially by Nicole Kidman, is astounding. Whenever she is in a scene, she lights up (or should I say darkens?) the film. The joint scene in particular - I never knew Kidman could actually act! (That said, Tom Cruise seems to be free-wheeling through this film).
But the plot. It's mysterious and exciting, but in the end it's disappointing. Again, if you've seen the film you'll know what I'm talking about. It sort of falls flat. You're left with a feeling that nothing really happened, that no character really grew, and that the film was just a blip in the character's lives.
Ironic, really. I think Tom Cruise got a bigger story to tell from working with Stanley Kubrick on his last film, than his character in the film would have to tell about his experiences.