`I'm paid to make men believe what they want to believe.'

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2002)

This is a `Cabaret' for the twenty-first century but without the original songs. Instead it builds on the work of other genius -- which leaves it somewhat hollow at the core.
There is a great deal of genius -- here but it is borrowed genius: It is in the art direction, musical direction, lightening fast editing and the overall vision of director Baz Luhrmann.
This film borrows from every known source: paintings, cartoons, with `Camille,' Satyricon,' and `Streetcar Named Desire' to name just a few of the film sources. Musically it is stunning. But even more stunning is how other people's music is used to tell this story -- a story originally told by Alexandre Dumas. The choreography is amazing; particularly the routine set to Sting's Roxanne.' It is jaw dropping.
John Lequizamo, as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, (especially when dressed as the sitar that could only tell the truth') is a brilliant piece of character acting.
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor do their own singing and they do it admirably.
Everything is simplified: The Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh) is evil. Christian (Ewan McGregor) is good and Nicole Kidman is the woman of easy virtue. It could hardly be more basic.
The sets, costumes, makeup and overall visual feel of the film were outstanding.
But there could be so much more.