The Doctor and the Wife

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2006)

Out of the wondrous imaginative mind of Stanley Kubrick comes this erotic tale of successful doctor William Harford (Tom Cruise) who believes he and his beautiful wife (Nicole Kidman) are a modern uninhibited and sophisticated couple. That all changes when the pair pauses a moment in their sedate and upscale life to smoke a joint. The husband reviews their evening at a fancy ball and reveals he was hit on by a couple of gorgeous women, but had the strength and fortitude to resist their invitation and charms. Taking his cue, the wife reveals that she too was invited to a sexual rendezvous and considered it just another of the many flirts she daily encounters. In fact, she further reveals, she's often had several wild fantasies involving herself and a handsome ship's Captain. This awakens and disturbs the doctor who believes there is much more to the sexual world of his wife which he is not privy to. Intrigued by the possibilities, he begins a personal but dangerous Odyssey to discover the dark secret world of the sexually provocative. The question arises. Can one delve into the black depths of perversion without losing himself? Eyes Wide Shut is a spellbinding foray of spectral images, complete with an equally haunting theme. All in all, a strange but alluring film where one discovers that enlightenment comes not without a price. ****