Stanley Kubrik's masterpiece works like clockwork

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2005)

A Clockwork Orange is one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time. It is my favorite film by Stanley Kubrik, who I believe, along with Martin Scorsese, is the greatest director ever. Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, 2001, and Dr. Strangelove are some of the best of all time, for me anyway. I wish that Kubrik could have had the opportunity to direct Artificial Intelligence, but Spielberg's homage did just fine. Back to A Clockwork Orange. This film is painful to watch on many levels. It is violent, but that is the subject matter. Due to that, this film is not for everyone. The soundtrack adds so much depth. The opening shot is planted in my brain, which is a closeup of Alex's face in the milk bar that features eerie music that fits so wonderfully. I do not want to describe the plot, because many others have and I do not want to give anything away. I do, however, want to write about my interpretation of the scene in which Alex is being "treated" in the movie theater by scientists who are trying to forcefully remove the evil from within his mind and heart. In the scene, they strap Alex down in a chair and hold his eyes open, so that he can not blink or look away from the screen. While he is strapped down, he watches footage of violence, rape, and war. In a way, this scene describes what the movie does to the viewer. When watching this film, it is impossible to look away, no matter how far it goes. The violence is not stylish or exciting. Instead, it is painful, brutal, hateful, and violent. Kubrik made this film to turn audiences off by violence. In today's world, violence seems to be the key to the success of a film. Just look at The Matrix or Kill Bill (I love both of these films by the way). I believe that Kubrik's mission was the same as the scientists, which was to scare the evil out of you. At least, that is what the film did to me. You know what I'm saying? If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. Art does not get much better than this. It's a shame that the movie is loved by younger audiences due to the fact that they find the violence to be hilarious. They have it all wrong.