Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Harford's wife, Alice admits to her husband that she has sexual longings...And that's about it. It maybe Kubrick's last film, but its certainly not his best. It smacks of a film that has nothing to sell it other than sex. In content, it reminds me of the slightly better Sharon Stone vehicle Sliver with voyeurism and sexual tension wrapped around a thinly veiled murder-mystery 'plot'.

Even those who like this sort of thing will be disappointed with this film, and at over 2 and a half hours, its way too long. I actually found myself getting cinema-goers bum on my sofa! I also found myself getting completely and utterly BORED!

The back cover says that the film has 'graceful, tracking shots'....Not in 4:3 it doesn't! What were they thinking here? I'm sure the theatrical release must have been in widescreen, and for such a visual film, releasing in Pan and Scan only is unforgivable. Another thing that is unforgivable is the picture quality...Quite simply it is the worst I have EVER seen, grainy beyond belief, with a terrible lack of definition. At one point Cruise walks into his apartment wearing a black overcoat, well I assume its an overcoat, for all I know it could be a bin liner because its just a splodge.

Sound is also unbelievably poor...Did Warner suddenly forget about the surround channels? You know, Warner, those funny speakers that sit at the back?!

Extras are poor too, with dodgy interviews and a couple of television adverts being all you get for your money. The only saving grace is the nicely animated menu system.

For crying out loud Warner...Why did you release this complete and utter tosh in such a terrible state? Take the last word of the title and replace a letter to get a more accurate description of this film.