Dis To The System
A Clockwork Orange
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Aubrey Morris
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Movie Help Web Popcorn Kernels:
A bit off. Really off, actually. This bizarre tale set in the future sends so many messages that, paradoxically, there was none. Perhaps that was the point. Or is there a point? These and many other questions go through your mind as the action unfolds before your eyes.
Narrated by a thug named Alex (McDowell), it details how he and his "boys" have a little bit of fun during the evening after school. Things such as beat up an old drunk, beat up rival gang members, break in, rape, and beat up some homeowners- well, you get the point. His "boys" eventually rebel under his stern rule and betray him, and Alex ends up arrested, tried, and put into prison.
Figuring that being a nice guy would get him out quick, he studied religion. Hearing of a new "process" that would accelerate his freedom even more, he begged entry. Well, be careful for what you wish for, because you may get it.
I won't give away more than that. This is a dark and cynical tale, taking the worst of human nature and holding it up for all to see. The sets are unique, colorful and jarring, and the costumes/dress equally "futuristic". Acting is sturdy, oversized, and exaggerated, holding a tone and sticking with it.
The movie is shocking and brutal: for its time, and now for that matter. While the lead is unsympathetic (a thug is a thug, even if he is semi-cultured), you at least appreciate how and why he got the way he was. Maybe.
