Crowe's Stylistic Apex

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2008)

It begins with sweeping overhead shots of a New York City slowly succumbing to the chill of late fall. As the camera moves closer, it seems to blink and on the soundtrack we hear the first dialog of the film. "Open your eyes" followed by the foreboding tones of Radiohead's Everything in its Right Place.
The opening of Vanilla Sky immediately begins to separate itself from every film in Cameron Crowe's cannon. This is a film of delicate construction and careful planning.
The setup is simple enough: young playboy David Aames (Tom Cruise) is on top of the world. He has inherited control of all three of his father's magazines, and all the other "keys to the kingdom". David can have any woman he wants, including his personal friend with "benefits" Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz), however he is caught off guard when he meets Sofia (Penelope Cruz). They spark an immediate bond and spend the night having a deep conversation like only Crowe can write. (Of course this is set to the tune of Solsbury Hill.) This sparks jealousy in Julie, who in a single action sends the film through the looking glass and into a world of murder, dreams and psychedelia.
Vanilla Sky was initially released in 2001, a very good year for the certain type of film that requires numerous viewings to unwrap and dissect the riddles they present. In a single year we had Nolan's Memento, Kelly's Donnie Darko and this film. The former two films have gained a substantial cult following (#28 and #124 on IMDb's Top 250 respectively) however, Vanilla Sky remains the best and most undervalued film of that trio.
The film is Crowe's first true directorial triumph, not his best film but his most stylistically advanced and intoxicating. In Vanilla Sky Crowe brings a mash of pop culture as signposts within the film. Keep an eye out for tiny details such as programs on T.V. or ringtones of a phone. He designs shots to subconsciously resemble classic images. However, this visual growth doesn't undercut the reliables in Crowe's bag of tricks. Vanilla Sky includes every Crowe staple: dialog that seems to immediately enter the lexicon, carefully drawn characters, subtle character driven humor and of course the achingly perfect soundtrack. Yet, I view as completely reliant on Crowe's previous film, Almost Famous. With that film Crowe sharpened his production values only to unleash them at their apex here. In Famous Crowe mastered the art of clear storytelling, allowing him to play with the structure of the medium with Vanilla Sky.
The performances are also of a higher level. Cruise sheds all of his Maguire-tics to create a character that begins with all the answers and by the end has none of them left. Diaz brings a fierce believability to her role. And perhaps most surprisingly, Kurt Russell (as David's shrink) brings his uniquely human charm to a role that will be perceived in new ways by the end credits.
Although only seven years old, Vanilla Sky has emerged in my mind as a great film of many layers. I've seen it countless times, yet with each viewing it continues to reveal further depths. I fear it may forever remain a mystery; however I am confident that it will stay an intricate and confounding masterwork.