Bizarre and Brilliant.

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2014)

Stanley Kubrick created a deranged adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novella of the same name. The film has since become one of the most controversial pictures ever released and has become to me one of the best movies I have ever seen.
What makes this so controversial is the explicit violence and sexual content. The violence is more barbaric (which includes torture) than a cheesy 80s action movie with Sylvester Stallone, and the sex (mostly rape) is also all out with the most rape I have seen in a feature film. The movie is about Alex (McDowell) and his Droods who rape, torture and rob people for kicks. But what makes this so bizarre is the way Kubrick tackled the look of a futuristic-dystopian England. The set pieces to gain a future look are greatly weird and the ones to gain a dystopian look (mostly dealing with sex) are even weirder. So Kubrick knocked the look out of the park.
What makes this great is the character study of Alex and his delivery by Malcolm McDowell. He plays such an evil character with such a cool look and vibe to him that you can't help but be sympathetic. He's not one to feel sorry for (right away), but he still has that "cool" factor. Roughly half-way through the movie, he is betrayed by his Droods and is sent to prison. There, he is shown disturbing videos along with music parallel to his own crimes. He is released completely changed and must deal with the hellacious aftermaths crimes he committed. The study of Alex is an evil individual that is changed to a normal person by the government; a regular person with a mechanical mind. A theme that could be used is "sorry not cutting it" (not sure of a proper term for this) because he is changed but still must pay for all the wrong he did. The general structure and change is similar to Robert De Niro in Raging Bull and Edward Norton in American History X. So I totally loved McDowell's performance in this. Difference is, Alex is simply psychotic, whereas De Niro and Norton where driven by anger and personal demons. So Alex is scarier because he has no real reason to do what he does. When he changes, he becomes hugely sympathetic. Thing is, that's not him. He has no control over being good. At the end, he is "cured," reverting back to his evil self as the government is faulted and Alex is sent to be changed back. But the end is not fully explained, so it is very ambiguous and requires analyzing.
The way that society and psychology is used in this is flat-out amazing. The performance by McDowell is a rarity and the story is astonishing. This is not an easy view, but it is one that is needed.
4/4