Another Kubrick Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 2000)

It's a shame that this movie didn't get a single Oscar nomination. It may not be the year's best picture, but it certainly ranks in the top ten, as far as I'm concerned.
There has been much negativity associated with this film since its release -- many people felt that it wasn't a fitting swan song for Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest filmmakers that ever lived; many also felt that there was too much hype and the film simply didn't live up to it; others were of the opinion that it was too slow and long. That reminds me of the people I saw who walked out of a David Lynch movie because it was "too weird." It's David Freaking Lynch, what were you expecting? The guy doesn't make mainstream movies!
The same can be said for the late great Kubrick. He had a style all his own, and this film has his fingerprints all over it: grainy, high contrast picture, bright primary colors, a chilling musical score, and an undercurrent of tension.
The film has the style of a thriller, but it's more of a psychological drama. Cruise and Kidman are a husband and wife who live an upper-class Manhattan lifestyle (he's a prominent doctor). During a night of pot smoking, Kidman confesses that she was nearly unfaithful with a Naval officer she met the previous summer. This sends Cruise into a tailspin of jealousy and confusion, as he spends the next couple of nights exploring New York's seamy sexual underbelly. Among his exploits is an evening spent at an extremely creepy orgy which takes place in a mansion outside the city. This is the kind of film where you never know what's going to happen next, and that's where the film's true enjoyment lies. It's also great to see all of the traditional Kubrick elements in place.
This is no "Clockwork Orange," no "2001," but it's still an enormously entertaining film. For those people who are put off by the film's generally negative reviews, remember this: almost all of Kubrick's films were initially panned. They seem to grow an appreciation over the years. I'm sure that in time, people will recognize EWS for what it is: a masterpiece and a fitting final work in Kubrick's career.