Stellar. Period.

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2015)

The film is set in a dystopian, futuristic London, where the youth is getting themselves involved in the most extreme of crimes. Kubrick gives us a harsh portrayal of the current face of our society, one of the primary reasons the movie wasn't taken well initially, but has now become a cult phenomenon. It connects this portrayal to a cruel glimpse into an Orwellian totalitarian government, which combats this same infection of crime with a brutal, gut-wrenching psychological treatments. The viewer is left struggling with his notions of morality, and free will. But that is Kubrick's style isn't it?
Alex, a Beethoven-loving, sociopathic and conscienceless thug, roams around with his 'droogs', raping, looting, committing all sorts of heinous crimes, with not so much as a finger pointed at them. His buoyant, aloof, almost arrogant self-narration gives us a dark glimpse into the mind of misguided youth in our society, who associate glory with these acts. However, in a home-looting sequence, he is betrayed by his friends owing to their discontent with his authoritarian rule, who hand him over to the police. The Ministry of the Interior, for me, a reference to the Thought Police in 1984, introduce their horrifying technique for "curing" criminals.
The description of the treatment would make your jaw drop. It is a grim reminder of what the power of behavioral and psychological modification in the hands of wrong people can do. Alex is turned into a Clockwork Orange, and the questions start to pour in...
The film is a running lecture on free will, along with a warning regarding the psychological techniques that the government can impose. Its central premise is to ask the viewer - What is the definition of goodness? Can aversion therapy really stop immoral behavior? Do we have the right to infringe upon someone's free will? Can we allow our police to impose this brutality upon us, in order to solve crime?
It is a simply stellar take on the complexities of our mind, challenging our very definitions of goodness and morality. Do watch it, it's worth those three hours.