Powerful and violent comedic masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2002)

No one makes movie like Kubrick. He was probably the only filmmaker to establish a way of making movies that no one will ever achieve again, as hard as they try. A proof of that is this movie - which could have probably fallen into the pit of the ridiculous in someone else's hands, but which gets a treatment by a master director and deserves its place among the best movies of all time. This is not an easy one to watch - from the first shot we feel like we're being tested, like the movie is observing us, right from that lunatic stare of Malcolm McDowell's master creation, Alex. The film that follows is something rarely seen afterwards: a depiction of a psychopathic character which starts paying the dividends of his own way of living. Technically the movie is one of the most exquisite items ever put on film: the sets, the framing, the cinematography, all are top-notch. The usage of classical music is also a landmark, as the scenes only make sense with them, and gives some sequences a ballet-like feel that makes them something more than just violence. Altogether, this movie is shocking but for all the right reasons. Guaranteed to make you never forget about it.