Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
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Eyes Wide Shut Movie Review
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 psychological mystery film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. It’s a puzzling and atmospheric, but overall just solid experiment.
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“No dream is ever just a dream“
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It follows the sexually charged adventures of Dr. Bill, who is shocked when his wife, Alice, reveals that she had contemplated having an affair a year earlier. He embarks on a night-long adventure, during which he infiltrates a massive masked orgy of an unnamed secret society.
Let’s unravel this film. Yes, this is one of the most puzzling films from Kubrick, and one of his more divisive experiments in that regard. I personally deem it quite a bit a case of style over substance, but it mostly works in its cinematic merits alone.
I loved how this isn’t a psychological thriller, but a mystery. Most would say that it isn’t easily categorized, but I would fully categorize it as a mystery, and it is successful in that sense as it really is intriguingly crafted, mysterious and constantly extremely puzzling for better and for worse as it needs homework afterwards to fully unravel it.
It’s also one of those movies which are sure to get better upon second viewing, but for now I find it solid, but I respect it more than I truly love it. I found it way too difficult to understand, but for me, at least for now, the plot still seemed a bit too slight as it relies heavily on symbolism and there is not enough meat to it.
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The use of colors is great. Red represents sex whereas blue represents money. Both are so well utilized in the context of the story which is at its core about infidelity, power and money and sex, as that relationship between the three is at the core of most heterosexual relationships.
The movie is very psychological in its exploration of such scenes, but it becomes a bit too inner-minded and I wanted more clear substance from it on the surface. And it doesn’t really fully explore these themes as it just presents them on a plate.
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were together when they were filming this movie, and that proved to be a very good move for the movie in terms of casting as they portrayed their anxieties and problems thus really well. Nicole is excellent per usual and her scenes are quite memorable, but Cruise struggled a bit at times owing to an overly difficult role for him to play. And it’s odd witnessing a blockbuster actor in a Kubrick movie, but for the most part the casting worked nonetheless.
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Eyes Wide Shut is, as I’ve stated before, a cinematic treat. And that is where its true powers lie. It’s memorable in that masked orgy sequence which entirely steals the show and becomes the point of interest for this whole movie. That sticks in your mind afterwards for sure.
But otherwise the movie is slower paced and very long at two and a half hours. It’s not boring per say, but it’s not the most engaging watch either. I loved the cinematography, especially the use of colors, the framing and the lighting. All are very professional. The atmosphere is amazing and the score is brilliant and hugely memorable. The direction from Kubrick is also very good, but it’s far from his greatest works in my opinion.
Eyes Wide Shut needs second viewing for me, as upon first watch I find it just solid, and I respect it more than I truly love it. That’s because it’s a very long, overly puzzling movie which relies too much on style over substance. However, the symbolism is still great, especially the use of colors, the atmosphere is amazing, the mystery is intriguing and the score is particularly memorable. As a story, it relies too much on symbolism to really make an impact, but as a cinematic experience, it’s an undeniable treat.
