Cruise film voted most confusing of all time

Tom Cruise’s movie 'Vanilla Sky' has proved to be a mission impossible – after cinemagoers named it the most baffling movie of all time today.

The 2001 film, which also stars Penelope Cruz, finished just ahead of the David Lynch film 'Mulholland Drive'.

'Vanilla Sky' – directed by Cameron Crowe – topped a poll of the most confusing movies ever, conducted for UK film rental service LoveFilm.

Cruise’s film, a remake of the Spanish hit 'Abre Los Ojos', left many scratching their heads on its release with a tale about dream fantasies, love and disfigurement.

Third place in the poll went to 'Donnie Darko', the sleeper hit starring Jake Gyllenhaal which initially flopped but proved a major DVD hit, perhaps due to repeated plays as viewers tried to unravel it.

Late director Stanley Kubrick’s films figured twice in the top 10 with '2001: A Space Odyssey' at number eight and 'A Clockwork Orange' at 10.

The poll was conducted to mark the release of the new movie 'Inception', which has also left many fans struggling to get to grips with the plot. Its British director Christopher Nolan sees his film 'Memento' at number five.

LoveFilm, the DVD rental and online streaming service, polled more than 2,000 film fans.

Its editor Helen Cowley said: “It’s clear that dreaming is the biggest cause of confusion for viewers.

Switching from reality to dream sequences pulls the wool over our eyes and leaves us searching for the truth.”

The top ten most confusing films of all time are:

1. 'Vanilla Sky' (2001)

2. 'Mulholland Drive' (2001)

3. 'Donnie Darko' (2001)

4. 'The Matrix Revolutions' (2003)

5. 'Memento' (2000)

6. '12 Monkeys' (1995)

7. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004)

8. '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)

9. 'Revolver' (2005)

10. 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)