Deliciously sinister

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2008)

This is a film difficult to categorize. The central characters enjoy violence, rape and causing havoc. But really, at no time does this film make you feel uncomfortable as other films of this nature would. Occasionally funny, rarely frightening and always weird and entertaining, "A Clockwork Orange" remains a visual and conceptual masterpiece that is truly timeless.
The film is based on the book of the same name by Anthony Burgess. The book, whilst difficult to read due to the gangster language it is (and indeed the film) is written in, is certainly worthwhile and of course has an ending which could only be described as the polar opposite to the ending of the film. The story follows the youth Alex DeLarge, marvelously played by Malcolm McDowell, and his three hoodlum friends with a bizarre dress sense and a penchant for violence and mayhem of all forms. These dangerous sociopaths, lead by Alex wreak havoc on the wider community.
When he is betrayed by his crew the law catches up with Alex, he is sent to a correctional facility and becomes a guinea pig for an experimental drug, designed to rid criminals of their evil impulses. Needless, the say the film asks the ethical question; is it better to be able to choose to be bad, or become incapable of that choice at all? McDowell steals the show as Alex, surely one of the most enduring cinematic performances ever. And the film is everything you would expect from a Kubrick film; it transcends the normal world and dazzles the viewer with a visual spectacle.
There is also moments of humour in the film. A Clockwork Orange is probably most infamous for the way it 'glamourises' violence, particularly through Alex. Alex is a bad guy, the worst. But as he narrates to the audience/reader it is almost as if an endearing relationship of trust is being born. Alex refers to the viewers as 'my brothers' and at one stage 'my brothers and only friends' we can't help but feel some strange empathy for Alex. On the one hand he is vicious and calculated, but he himself is a child and very vulnerable. His mannerisms are often child-like, but he still possesses all the qualities of the dominant alpha-male. He is a complex character and one that has caused much controversy because he is notoriously hard to dislike. This is why this book and film was such a shock to the establishment. What is wrong with us if we like a person who does such evil things? Importantly, whilst that film does delve into ethical issues, it does not explore them at the expense of entertainment. Almost every scene is memorable and often haunting.