A Clockwork Orange
1971
*****
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke, John Clive, Adrienne Corri, Carl Duering, Paul Farrell, Clive Francis, Michael Gover
Young Alex and his gang spend their nights committing violent crimes until he is arrested for murder. Alex then volunteers to undergo experimental Ludovico treatment, designed to cure him of his criminal urges. Stanley Kubrick's chilly, cynical, and darkly comic dystopia is based on the 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess. The film's stylised visuals, perfect soundtrack, and thought-provoking exploration of free will ("When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.") help make it one of Kubrick's most controversial yet enduring works. Malcolm McDowell is outstanding in the lead.
