Should you or shouldn't you?

Rating: Null/10 (16 September 1999)

It wasn't until a few hours after watching this film that I decided it *was* worth seeing. I was surprised, because immediately after the final (now infamous) word spoken, I thought, "How stupid!" "Stupid" in this case meant overlong, unnecessary details, unnecessary dialogue, unnecessary SCENES, not to...mention...Nicole's...irritating...habit of...speaking...only...two words at...a time...as if...that was...all...her memory...allowed her.
But I let the whole experience sink in. It's true. It is a film to experience first and understand second: visually gorgeous and aurally captivating. And what it all adds up to is an atmosphere of uncertainty, deceit and debauchery. A lot of the film *is* boring and *does* appear pointless, but it does fit in with Kubrick's vision of a world where nobody's loyalties are 100% certain. (Except for the boys on the street who jeer at Tom Cruise; can anybody justify that?)
Because a great deal of its charm is in the aesthetics, I couldn't tell anyone whether they'd like the film or not. Over-publicising of certain parts (personally, I was not disappointed by the orgy, although the music certainly gave it an extra layer of sensuousness) doesn't help.