Works of genius aren't easy to ignore

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2000)

How do you follow "2001 - A Space Odyssey," a work of insight, intelligence, and spirituality? Easy. With something completely different -- which is also a work of insight, intelligence, and, well, genius. "A Clockwork Orange" doesn't hesitate to push those "think and feel" buttons with unmatched style and wit.
Stanley Kubrick doesn't give in. He makes us search within ourselves, whether we like it or not. Why are we rooting for the bad guys? What is it about ourselves that makes black and white turn gray? The moral of this story is, you take away a man's ability to choose, and he is no longer a man. Do we take away a man's choice to do evil? Hmmm.
Kubrick's the man. A genius. Even his lesser work is just lesser genius. See everything you can by him. "Clockwork Orange," "2001" and "Dr. Strangelove" is a trio of work that will never be matched.
By the way, Malcolm McDowell never got the credit he deserved for this movie. Few other actors gave as much as he did here.