Review of A Clockwork Orange (1971) by Frank F — 28 May 2013

A film that is just as artful as it crazy, whether it be its visuals that are flamboyantly colorful, its use of Beethoven to compliment Alex's over-the-top personality, or its clever dialogue. This is a film like no other that portrays a society that blurs the line between good and evil, filled with characters possessing many different oddities, where the sane and insane are basically one and the same. Every line of dialogue is witty and quotable, that it makes every situation in the movie even way more absurd than it already is, in a really good way.

Malcolm McDowell is legendary in this and delivers a performance so electrifying that it will send shivers down your spine. He definitely brings out the most out of a character who is rebellious without any sense of constraint, and to see him suffer through what he's put through later on in the movie makes me feel a bit of sympathy for him, strangely, but just when we feel bad for him, he'll fill you up with disgust, once again to remind you how much he values his own grotesque freedom. His actions may be evil, but on the different sides of the spectrum, which are the sides of the good, 'do you're told' law abiding citizen to the anti-conformists, both their actions are situated in the utmost extremes that point out the flaws in each of their convictions.

While both flawed, the story definitely serves its purpose of satirizing a society that values its convictions in establishing order through a system that forces everyone to conform to what constitutes a good citizen. How can society grow if we cannot let aspects of our individuality flourish? And although we should conform to having a good sense of morality, unlike Alex, we should still be able to exercise our right to freedom, instead of letting ourselves be oppressed by what society deems as 'ideal' living. And although the film leaves out the last chapter of the novel, I feel the choice of going with this ending makes just as strong of statement either way in pointing out society's flawed system.

To sum everything up, 'A Clockwork Orange' is everything a satire should be, in that it is so shocking that it is able to get its points across directly. This is a film that shows ambition, but at the same time can make you laugh hysterically at things you'd feel strange for laughing at and whenever I watch this film, I feel a little twisted myself. While there are certain scenes that induce a feeling of disgust, there are many scenes that are just hilarious, and that is due to the outrageous dialogue. From watching every character interact with each other to listening to Alex's narration, there are so many overwhelmingly good lines filled with so much wit that this is bound to be a film you'd want to revisit again and again. To have a film mix dark humor with acts of a grotesque nature is one the weirdest dynamics in film and this is what I think that captivates many people to watch this film. On that note, that is what makes 'Clockwork' so great in that it executes what it sets out to do so well that you will find yourself trying not to look away at the screen, despite the horrific events that occur within in the film, and a film that can captivate me that much is in every way deserving of the title as a classic.