OK, but no masterpiece

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 1999)

Kubrick's last film is good, but not great like "Barry Lyndon" or "Spartacus". However it's not as bad as "The Shining". It's well-directed (of course), looks fantastic (although you can tell the streets of New York are sets), and has a great music score BUT the acting is bad (especially Cruise), the film is at least half-an-hour too long, and there are way too many unanswered questions (how did the masks and orgy start; why do they do it etc etc) and the subject matter seems rather light foir Kubrick. Remember this is a man who dealt with the existence of the whole human ran in "2001"! All in all, not the disaster critics are saying it is, but no masterpiece either.