Man Does Not Naturally Run Like Clockwork

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2009)

A Clockwork Orange is a movie based on Anthony Burgess's novel of the same title. To many, it is considered a fantastic work of art and Stanley Kubrick(director) at his finest. It tells the tale, in the first person, of a young lad named Alex deLarge(Malcolm McDowell). This young man is about fifteen years old and is a fan and avid participant of ultra-violence, which is an unprovoked act of violence purely for the entertainment of himself and his "droogs." Droog is a word that transposes to friend in their slang they use called "nadsat." These acts of ultra-violence are quite brutal, but are contrasted against classical scores, such as Beethoven, which disturbingly make them seem almost comical. We follow Alex through his life committing these acts and living highly until he is set up by his droogs one night, arrested for murder, and sent to a detention center. There, he becomes part of a program that makes him physically sick to hurt anyone. After he finishes the program, he is considered cured and released. He returns home to find that his parents don't want him and is put out on the streets. He encounters almost everyone he had wronged, including his former droogs, who all seek their revenge. He returns to one of his victims' house, who recognizes him and locks him upstairs, driving him mad with music until he can no longer take it and attempts suicide by jumping out of the window. He survives and receives medical attention, including a surgery that "cures" him from his pains. The government is blamed for his suicide attempt, claiming the program and his treatment to cure him was inhumane. They make a deal, give him a job, and take care of him. This movie does an incredible job at making the audience sympathize with the narrator, and almost making light of terrible acts of violence. It's hard to decide if it is he, or the government who is the hero or the villain.