From a Fruit to a Vegetable.

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2006)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Anthony Sharp, Warren Clarke, James Marcus, Godfrey Quigley, Michael Bates, Philip Stone, Carl Duering.
'A Clockwork Orange' is, without a doubt, one of the strangest films I have ever seen, and will ever see. It is twisted, disturbing, and ultimately haunting. It is a masterpiece that shows us a look inside the mind of an intelligent, yet disturbed youth.
The plot is about an older teen named Alex who enjoys listening to Beethoven, skipping school, and hanging out with his friends during the evening in a not too distant future. He is obsessed with sex/rape ("the old in-out") and "ultra violence" so much that he thinks about it almost all the time. During the nights, he and his "droogs" either hang out at a milk bar, terrorize bums on the street, or get into brawls. They get into a gang fight, steal a car, break into a writer's house, beat up the writer and rape his wife right in front of his eyes.
The next night, Alex accidentally kills a woman inside her home. When he leaves, his friends betray him and leave him for the police. Alex is sent to prison for years because of his crime. In prison, he hears of something that can cure people from their problems. The doctors decide to test it on Alex by flashing images onto a screen, images that Alex is obsessed with. When Alex is released, his former victims and friends plot revenge on him.
'A Clockwork Orange' is a thought-provoking piece of film that still delivers after over 30 years. It had a powerful impact on me by the film's finale. Content wise, I don't recommend it to everyone. It is extremely graphic with strong use of sexuality and nudity. If that doesn't bother you then you should see this. It really isn't as disturbing as it sounds.
Stanley Kubrick, once again, gives a wonderful direction. I love the way that he directed his movies, almost all of them are great. The soundtrack is very great with Beethoven's Ninth and the film's original score. The composer of the original score, Wendy Carlos, does an excellent job of giving a haunting score.
The words to describe Alex De Large are sick, perverted, twisted, and despicable. I'd be surprised if anyone couldn't tell that already, even after the grin he gives to the camera after the opening credits. Alex has a wide imagination, even if his thoughts are somewhat disturbing. Malcolm McDowell plays him masterfully. I really didn't expect the movie to be like this. I expected it to be some sort of Cyber-Thriller, but it turned out to be a powerful experience.
This movie was adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess. I admit, I never read the novel, but I really understood the movie. Although it is a Science Fiction movie, it never does have what most others of that genre do: which is lasers, flying objects, and epic battles. This is much different from those, and much more original.
'A Clockwork Orange' is one of Kubrick's best films, definitely his most thought provoking. He is one of the greatest directors in the history of film, and has given magnificent movies. I can't decide if I like this or 'Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (quite possibly THE Sci-Fi film). I will never forget the impact that 'A Clockwork Orange' had on me. 5 stars out of 5.