Pure Kubrick, mysterious and clever

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 1999)

Of course it's not a soft porn, even though we are blessed with the sight of Nicole's somewhat thin behind in the opening seconds of the movie.But, to tell the truth, I wasn't sure myself what this movie was until the unexpected turn it took in the middle part. It was too weird to believe, but whoever thought old Stan went crazy, soon was proven wrong. Nothing happened by accident in any of his movies, and EWS is not an exception. Yes, the scene in the mansion is weird enough, even with computer generated deceivers of our sex-lusted eyes. But what was it actually? Was it Tom's reality, or just Nicole's dream? You want answers from Kubrick? Not likely.
He's neither your moralistic Spielberg nor entertaining Sonnenfeld. Not even your relaxed but crisp Scorsese. Stan wants to make you think, come up with your own answers. And if at first you don't succeed, you are probably asking the wrong questions. There is no point in telling the story of the movie here, but I have to give kudos to the actors. I already heard the Oscar-buzz for Kidman, whose role is second in importance, but first in intensity. The real gem is the performance of Sydney Pollack as ridicilously rich and amoral friend of Cruise's. He's not in the movie for long, but he leaves a strong impression, as well as Rade Serbedzija. He plays the weird immigrant owner of the costume shop, and I felt kind of proud to have known his brilliant work for 20 yrs before he was discovered by American audience (he also played in "Saint"). And, of course, there is Tom Cruise, who was not able to impress me in "The Firm", "Rain Man" or "Born On the Fourth Of July". But under steady guiding hand of Stanley Kubrick, he came so close. The transformation and the development of his character is very detailed and accurate, and he was able to carry the movie till the surprising end. And last but not least, this movie speaks volumes about the talents and visions of Stanley Kubrick himself. The grainy quality of the celluloid tape, gold and red colour filters, endless sequences without dialogue, bizarre settings, everything bears a visible Kubrick mark. Not to forget Gyorgy Ligeti, whose mysterious music can be found in two other Kubrick's masterpieces, "2001" and "The Shining". Whether the anemic Oscars acknowledge EWS as a true masterpiece, it will remain as a worthy ending to a brilliant career of one of the best directors in Hollywood history.