Brilliant in all respects, mesmerizing, surreal, haunting... Kubrick's best film.

Rating: Null/10 (18 July 1999)

Two words come to mind when I think of Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut. Those words are "masterpiece" and "perfection". The film is so skillfully constructed that often times I was lulled by the mesmerizing visuals on screen into a hypnotic sort of trance.
The movie is the story of Bill and Alice Harford's (Cruise and Kidman) experiences over a four day period. Cruise is in every scene in the movie and Kidman is not, and although her performance might be considered supporting, come award time, I'd put her in the lead actress category. The film would be nothing without her character. The film would be nothing without Kidman, in fact.
The acting is top notch; Kidman's performance deserves an Oscar, and Cruise delivers better in this movie than he has ever in the past. Sydney Pollack is exceptional as a lustful millionaire who invites the couple to a party and later reenters Bill's life in an unexpected way. Marie Richardson takes on what was once Jennifer Jason Leigh's role and pulls it off nicely.
The soon to be (in)famous orgy scene is impossible to discuss without mentioning the way in which the studio (with or without Kubrick is unknown, at least to me) digitally added figures to cover certain sex acts that were deemed too explicit by the MPAA. In my opinion, this alteration was not all that distracting; if no one had mentioned to me that it had been altered, I would have noticed nothing. In fact, the way that people were watching those acts the way they did (men in cloaks, nude women arm in arm, etc.) was rather chilling.
Either way, the scene works, and the film succeeds. The score is haunting and appropriate (I especially enjoyed the use of an accordion-style waltz accompanying the opening credits). Eyes Wide Shut is a landmark as a visual achievement: The sets are remarkable, from the modern apartment of Bill and Alice to the gothic period piece in which the orgy takes place. Larry Smith's camera varies from claustrophobic closeups and stills to floating dream-like imagery (although I suspect Kubrick shot many of the scenes himself).
A film that takes tremendous risks such as Eyes Wide Shut can only be one by an indubitably brave filmmaker. Stanley Kubrick said on his deathbed that he had made the best film of his career. I think I might have to agree. This film is exceptional in every atom of its being.