Kubrick has done it again

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 1999)

"Eyes Wide Shut" is the best film of '99 so far, and I think it is safe to say that nothing else this year will even come close to equaling its genius. It is not a perfect film by any means, but it is a work of art. It the kind of film that reminds me what cinema was made for. The story and dialogue are so simple, but so cleverly carried out with such care and attention to detail that the very mechanics of a scene with Tom Cruise walking down the streets of New York becomes high art. Of course, what other director could carry this film off with so much care and attention to detail? That has always been Stanley Kubrick's trademark style, and this, his last film, is no different. "Eyes Wide Shut" has the same balance of cold clinical evil set against shallow human beings who are doing their best to stay sane in a slightly askew world as several of Kubrick's other films, most notably "2001: a space odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange." Of course, this film also has shades of the one man's struggle (and eventual release to) sexual perversion of "Lolita" and the satire of human procedure of "Dr. Strangelove." What does this film have that makes it better than other psychological thrillers of the same vein? Well, first of all, Kubrick, the master, is behind the camera, which accounts for the way the movie comes off as a well-oiled machine, performing the same actions just as perfectly no matter how many times you run the program. There are other factors at work here, though. The acting is all top rate, especially the two lead roles. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play a husband and wife facing several physical and mental tests to their fidelity. Kidman shines in the first half of the film as Alice Harford, ex-art dealer and stay-home mother for her child. Cruise's doctor character, Bill, seems not to be the focus in these first few moments, as Kidman takes over the screen with her beautifully timed, intricately spoken and self-assuredly delivered monologues. Soon, however, Kidman disappears as Cruise's character is overcome with jealousy, and sets out on an aimless search of the streets of New York for some sort of way to combat his feelings. Previous to this point, the film had been steadily and laboriously moving forward with great care. Once Cruise begins his adventures into the night, however, suspense and even a sort-of adventure enter the picture, and things start picking up. The middle section of the film played out like "The Catcher in the Rye" for me, with Cruise as the Caulfield character, aimlessly roaming the streets of New York, meeting several contacts, doing anything to keep from having to go home. While I won't reveal the events of Cruise's night out, I will state that it is a series of wide-ranging episodes all dealing with different facets of human sexuality. The episodes range from slightly humorous to downright frightening, and at the end of the night and the beginning of a new day, the real terror begins as Cruise must face the consequences of what he has done, seen and heard. Is the movie perfect? As stated above, no. There are some pacing problems, which only really reveal themselves when Kubrick briefly finds a groove to work in, and then loses it again. This exact same script, in the hands of any other director, may have seemed ridiculous and contrived. But, Kidman and Cruise rescue their main characters from mundanity, and Kubrick rescues the rest of the movie from the same. From the first frame to the last, I was enthralled and completely engrossed in the film. The material itself was mediocre, but the ways in which it was carried out was pure genius. A lot has been made of "Eyes Wide Shut", with few people even having seen it yet. All I can say is that Cruise and Kidman have found themselves in the movie of their careers, and the movie is better for it. I can also say that this film is more than worthy of being known as "Kubrick's final masterpiece." Not pretentious, not without meaning, cold and cynical while still showing evidence of a human heart beneath it all: Kubrick has done it again.