... a hugely original and stylish film that is compelling and very shocking.

Rating: Null/10 (5 November 1998)

A Clockwork Orange is a powerful and disturbing film that never seems to even attempt to condemn the violence it shows. It is extremely stylish in its look and sound with outrageous costumes and sets and a sinister electronic soundtrack often based on works of Beethoven. Malcolm MacDowell gives an extraordinary performance as Alex, the film's protagonist. For the first half of the film Alex is cold and unfeeling but once he has been imprisoned and given a shocking new conditioning therapy, he becomes a sympathetic character, someone whose life has been destroyed by a cruel justice system. The scene in which Alex goes back to his home after his release and is thrown out by his parents is actually quite moving as you really feel for the character however cruel and heartless he has been earlier in the film. The scene in which Alex is actually given the conditioning therapy and forced to watch scenes of extreme violence is one of the most terrifying and disturbing scenes ever made. Kubrick injects A Clockwork Orange with moments of very dark humour throughout. This adds to the shocking nature of the violence as most scenes of violence are actually played for laughs, however sick they are. The only bad thing about Kubrick's film is that he changes the ending from the original one in Anthony Burgess' novel. The original gives the message that the only thing that will reform a criminal is if he wants to change himself. Kubrick seems to be saying that someone like Alex cannot change at all and the evil inside him is always there. Overall,a hugely original and stylish film that is compelling and very shocking. A Clockwork Orange will not be to everyone's taste but watch it with an open mind and you will see what is possibly one of the best films of the last 30 years.