Wearing thin

Rating: Null/10 (4 February 2002)

I rented this movie recently after many years, while I was on a Kubrick kick. Sadly, unlike other movies of his which only improve with age, "Clockwork Orange" appeared superficial and repetitious. Usually Kubrick's typical intellectuality and coldness didn't overwhelm his work because he chose subjects in which a fair degree of human passion figure, thus supplying him with a ready-made counterweight to his own approach. But when the subject is psychopathic violence and state-sponsored mind control, the limitations shine through in a hard, unyielding way. As for its shock value, that will always garner some enthusiasm from (usually younger) male viewers. No surprises there. That the limited violence is still appalling even when compared to the easy ultraviolence of more recent movies, is testament not to genius but to a failure to build a more extensive narrative framework. A lecture on morals, not a lesson.