(rated R, 2 hrs. 10 mins.)
Cameron Crowe reteams with his “Jerry Maguire” star Tom Cruise for this psychological thriller based on writer-director Alejandro Amenabar’s Spanish sleeper “Abre los Ojos” (Open Your Eyes) which means Cruise will be wide awake as opposed to his last movie “Eyes Wide Shut.” Cruise stars as David Aames, a contemporary Manhattan bachelor snow-boarding through life with a care-free “Risky Business” attitude, all grown up. He’s a man who appears to have it all inheriting his mogul daddy’s publishing house. He’s also got two women. One a femme fatale in Cameron Diaz who shows her acting has grown to accommodate psychos. The other; the love of his life Penelope Cruz (who reprises her role from the original Spanish version). He’s also got a best friend in Brian Shelby (Jason Lee) who does a steady portrayal supporting David Aames’s lifestyle. That’s until Cruise’s character makes one false move that turns his face into “Phantom Of The Opera” and turns his life around as he attempts to untwist mistakes involving suicide, murder and passion. While the story is off to a vortex start, over time the audience becomes tricked on some roller coaster ride that loses its thrill and eventually our patience.
