Eyes Wide Shut

UK Release: 10th September 1999

Watched on Recorded TV: Thursday 15th March 2012

Rating: 18

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Runtime: 2hrs 39mins

Tagline: Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick.

IMDb Plot Synopsis: A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

My Review: I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to watch this! While there was a definite chemistry between Cruise and Kidman this was a looong film and many of the scenes stifling so - which may have been the point but it went to the extreme where it got quite dull. It started off well enough but as it got odder and odder it got harder and harder to enjoy. 

I can, however, say that I do respect Stanley Kubrick as one good thing about the film is the building of tension. He managed to create a ‘good’ atmosphere that was similar to Rosemary’s Baby. Also similar to Rosemary’s Baby is the difficulty in pigeonholing the film into one genre; psychologically thriller, horror... what?

It has to be one of the weirdest films I’ve seen in a while and while it wasn’t necessarily an enjoyable experience I appreciate it as an art form and respect it for what it was trying to do.

Score: 7/10