An expensive experiment

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 1999)

Having waited with baited breath for Eyes Wide Shut, I can only conclude that it was a sore disappointment. The acting, whilst honest, was theatrical. The piano score was infuriating, like sitting in the next room to a child practising his scales. There were simply too few characters to sustain any mystery element. Surely, everyone knew who the masked woman was??? Most of the film felt under-developed and dated. The masked ball, the highlight, was an interesting section, but its aftermath lacked focus. Then to top it all off, Sydney Pollack (who in no way was a better choice over Keitel) explains it all to Cruise in a breathtakingly over-developed scene.
Kubrick's track record secures his reputation as a genius, but this swansong was a disappointing bow. Surely the producers could have edited it down? Instead of treating it like some sacred parchment - overlong, over-developed, over-hyped. A welcome bit of intelligentsia amongst the brain-numbing box office fodder? Not really.