Why so Underrated?

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2010)

Dr. William Hartfor has just had a fight with his wife and begins to realized that his marriage may be collapsing. As he wonders New York City he has a series of strange encounters that culminates with him visiting a strange masked ball where nothing is as it seems.
I went into Eyes Wide Shut without high expectations. I am a huge Kubrick fan and I knew, since he directed it, it couldn't be a complete waste of time but due to its lack of acclaim I figured it was one of his weaker efforts. I was blown away.
Eyes Wide Shut is a cinematic masterpiece that, in true Kubrick fashion, can be interpreted in innumerable ways and puzzled over for hours. Eyes Wide Shut dissects everything from marriage to sexual perversion all the while containing an ominous tone that turns it into some perverse horror story. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise both give excellent career defining performances as does Sydney Pollack even with his extremely short screen time.
I'm not sure why this isn't considered one of Kubrick's best. Virtually every movie he has made, including the disappointing Full Metal Jacket, are considered to be some of the greatest pictures to every grace a multiplex, yet Eyes Wide Shut was virtually ignored by critics and audiences alike. I guess most of his movies were misunderstood at the time of their release and the intense expectation everyone had coming in didn't help either, but don't be fooled. Eyes Wide Shut is an amazing achievement and one that you can watch over and over again. I have watched it five or six times now and every time I notice a few new things and discover another way you could interpret a specific scene or phrase. Trust me; Eyes Wide Shut will blow you away.