Crowe's Great Followup to Almost Famous.

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2016)

Vanilla Sky (2001): Dir: Cameron Crowe / Cast: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee: Spellbinding film ripe with disturbing yet wondrous visual images straight through to the end. Similar to Mulholland Drive in that it leads a twisted and confusing path that nonetheless still intrigues. It relates to a clash of images that are not entirely there. It stars Tom Cruise who keeps having strange reoccurring dreams. He soon learns that he is up for murder and a white mask consumes his identity. He tells of an accident as his jealous girlfriends drives them over a bridge. The film depends on its bizarre vision and the skill of Cameron Crowe who previously made another great film called Almost Famous as well as direct Cruise to another very different performance in Jerry Maguire. Here Crowe succeeds in a triumph of visual design and imagery. Cruise plays a great victim to his own vanity. Cameron Diaz is excellent as his crazed ex-girlfriend whose image haunts his tortured mind. Penelope Cruz appears as his new love interest in an element that is shockingly double sided. Kurt Russell is terrific as his attorney who tries to help him sort out the confusion. Jason Lee plays an author and friend to the Cruise character, and who introduces him to Cruz before the domino effect that descends from it. Bizarre film about vanity and the dangers of lust. Score: 9 / 10