Go for the raw!

Rating: 5/10 (26 July 1999)

I've always liked Kubrick and respected his previous movies. I have to say though I was quite disappointed with EWS. Let's not even take all the hype into consideration. Let's look at the movie for itself.

From the first scene of the movie where Alice (Kidman) is in the bathroom urinating then standing up and wiping herself to the final last line I wonder what???? Kubrick went for every raw shot he could get in this movie. There was more (or as much) T & A in this movie than in a soft porn one. I'm still trying to figure out where the eroticism is. Many of the scenes were just for reaction. What was the point of the Leelee Sobieski part? I have no clue, does anyone?
I can understand the premise of Cruise's obsession upon learning of his wife's fantasy and the depth of that fantasy. His visit to the prostitute and the mansion where the secret sexual rituals take place bring to fruition his "I'll show you" attitude.
EWS has it's moments, but never truly comes together. There are too many unanswered questions. What really happened to his piano playing friend? Did the girl who saved him really die by her own hand? What was the purpose of the scene with the young girl (Sobieski) and the Asian men? How/Where did Alice (Kidman) find the mask?
Lastly, too often the acting was totally unbelievable. In the poignant scene when Alice is telling her husband about her fantasy, and they're discussing jealousy, I felt like I was watching Cruise do a bad imitation of Jack Nicholson. He went on to attempt to act like a man losing his grip when he visited the morgue and then towards the end when some things are revealed to the audience via his rich friend, contrarily, he was wooden and hardly believable as a tormented man.
Watch the movie for yourself, but if I had to choose over again I'd wait for the video.