Year of Release: 1999Country of Origin: UK, USA
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Todd Field
Plot outline: Consumed by betrayal and jealousy, a wealthy Manhattan doctor becomes entangled in sexual adventures when his wife admits to having sexual fantasies about another man (IMDb).
Eyes Wide Shut quickly developed a strong following, mostly from admirers of legendary director Stanley Kubrick. The movie is less popular, however, than several of Kubrick's later movies, e.g. A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, and The Shining. Loosely based on the 1926 novel "Traumnovelle" (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler, the setting has been changed to modern-day New York City. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) is a successful doctor who learns that his beautiful wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) has been fantasizing about having sex with another man. Bill decides to get his revenge through some sexual adventures of his own, which soon get him into trouble after crashing a private party at a wealthy estate. The hotties that tempt Bill aren't offering him sex or comfort. They want more ... they want to take him away from Alice. Bill seems to know this, which is why he is unable to commit adultery. Bill and Alice are bound together by their young daughter, Helena. The oddest thing about Eyes Wide Shut is that the script is at heart a mystery, and throws many false clues at the viewer that turn out to be unrelated to the plot. This is truly unconventional film-making, a deliberate prevention of tying up the loose ends. These diversionary subplots are all sexually related. And the movie is quite forward in its depictions, retaining Kubrick's favoritism of art over commerce. (BK)
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
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