Dark, Disturbing, Beautful!

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2008)

Having heard so much about Stanley Kubrick and this movie, atlast I got to watch it. For a movie made in 1971, I was completely blown away by the sheer brilliance of it. Without giving away much, A Clockwork Orange is based on a novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. Set in the future Britain where 16 year old Alex is jailed after one his raped victims die, he volunteers for an experiment designed by the government in an effort to solve the crime problems of the society. To begin with, I must admit, A Clockwork Orange is undoubtedly one of the most artistic pieces of cinema I have seen in a long, long time. The character of "Alex" (played brilliantly by Malcolm McDowell) is pure evil, sending shivers down your spine. Everything about him is so evil, so dark. The movie, which looks more like a stage-play version and less like a movie is enthralling, especially the conversations between Alex and his partners. The movie is disgusting, dark, sinister, gross, violent and very very artistic. The power of the movie is that it stays for hours after it has ended. In fact, this is one of the reasons why it took me a day and a half before I got down to review this movie, those disturbing images stick with you in your head... "A Clockwork Orange" is one of the best films that I've seen and I wish I never see it again.
The performances are all top-notch and it wouldn't be wrong to say that Malcolm McDowell's "Alex" is in the same league as Sir Anthony Hopkins' "Dr. Hannibal Lector". The background score goes perfectly with the movie's theme. The dialogues are both, very well-written and very well delivered. Honestly, its tough to find negative things about a movie that's, in my opinion, nearly flawless, but here's what I could manage to find: The movie starts losing its grip towards the middle. Some scenes in the movie were completely unnecessary and the nudity element could've been cut down a little, it disgusts you but I guess that's exactly why Kubrick chose to put it in the first place.
"A Clockwork Orange" is strongly recommended for anyone that loves cinema in its purest form. It has everything you could ask for... and then some more. Of course there's a lot of violence and nudity in the movie but it all serves the purpose. Rated to be one of Kubrick's best pieces of work (I wouldn't know coz I haven't seen much but it's definitely one of the best I have seen), "A Clockwork Orange" is almost perfect in every term. Watch it, if for nothing else, then an experience called "Kubrick's cinema" that you're surely not going to forget for a very long time.... if ever!!! Rating:- 8.5/10