Rating of
3.5/4
A nice bit o' the old Ludwig Van
memento_mori - wrote on 06/25/13
A lot like Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange holds a mirror to society to show us what's wrong. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but it has so much in it that's worthy of a mention. And Kubrick knocks it out of the park again.
Alex is the foulest, most brutal, vicious sociopathic criminal delinquent there just about is, and it's a dystopian future London in which he acts out his wrath and rage. He chooses his victims carelessly, hyping himself up on 'milk-plus' and roaming the streets with his 'droogs'.
Malcolm McDowell delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in the first ten minutes, let's put it like that.
Kubrick's direction and wide-angle fetish is well-displayed here and the score is masterful and perfectly fitting.
I like to think of this film as the perfect cause-and-effect display, the Karma.
Without spoiling anything, I will tell you this: Alex's careless choosing of his victims comes back to haunt him.
The use of Posh English in most films bothers me, but here it is beyond philosophical. It is sheer pleasure and in my humble opinion, the most interesting of slang in movies.
The shots in this film are perfect (nothing new from the infamous perfectionist Stanley Kubrick). There are many slow-motion and fast-motion sequences, as well as almost surreal images of a plagued world with so much to improve, yet so little goes as planned.
I simply adore how much it has to say about society. It is filled with implicit and explicit terms of justice, torture, human reasoning, right and wrong and most importantly, choice.
Summed up: with near-perfect direction, excellent acting, an outclassed script and dialogue and a bit of the old Ludwig Van, A Clockwork Orange manages to race its way to the classics list with ease.
'When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.'
