An icon in the action film genre, Tom Cruise is celebrated for his daring nature and ability to perform his stunts. With his larger-than-life performances and enigmatic persona, the actor has made the last few decades of his career memorable with some brilliant blockbusters that cement his legacy.
From high-strung action films to dark, complex psychological dramas with acclaimed auteurs, Cruise’s boyish charm and prolific acting skills have helped him traverse a wide variety of genres.
Synonymous with the Mission: Impossible film franchise, which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time, Cruise is well-known for other films, including Knight and Day, Jack Reacher, Jerry Maguire, War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow, Collateral, A Few Good Men, Risky Business, Top Gun among dozens of others.
Of the various films in his career and among the multiple filmmakers he has worked with, Cruise’s best collaborations remain with his then-wife Nicole Kidman and the legendary auteur Stanley Kubrick in the film Eyes Wide Shut.
Kubrick always wanted to make a sex comedy with a “wide and sombre streak” and ended up making this film that abounds in bizarre sequences. After much persuasion, he convinced then-couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise to star as the lead actors in this film. Always a perfectionist, Kubrick even convinced them not to take up any other project till they finished shooting the film.
Based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 novella, Traumnovelle, it seems like an erotic fever dream that plays out like a sensual and surreal odyssey of sex, tumultuous marriages, nudity and obsession against a burgeoning landscape of jealousy and insecurities.
It stars Cruise as William Harford, a doctor in New York City, and Kidman as his wife, Alice. They attend an opulent Christmas party, after which they discuss their sexual fetishes and fantasies.
Soon, William is drawn to bizarre orgies where, despite being masked, he is recognised. This poses a significant threat to him and his family, who cannot escape it no matter how hard they try.
Watch Eyes Wide Shut on Netflix now.
