A Movie Review: A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange.  Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is a psychopathic delinquent.  We meet him as he and his gang are off beating up a homeless man, getting into a fight with a rival gang and driving off to a random home where they beat up a Mr. Alexander (Patrick Magee) and rape his wife Mrs. Alexander (Adrienne Corri).  This all happens during one night of violence.

He has a falling out with his gang.  When they are in the middle of a home robbery, the police arrive.  As he runs out of the house, one member of his gang smashes a bottle across his face.  They then take off, leaving him as the scapegoat.

The woman dies and he is sentenced to prison.  There, he volunteers for aversion therapy.  If it works, he is promised his freedom.

This isn't a violent movie in the sense of violent movies we now see in the theaters.  We don't see faces blown apart with rapid gunfire.  It is violent in the sense that the movie deals with a violent society and we see folks being violated physically (including rape).

The movie also deals with the topic of free will.  Even if we are able to "heal" a person from their violent behavior, is it appropriate?  And even if one can take away a person's free will, does free will eventually re-assert itself?  Before being released from prison, Alex is put through a couple of test before an audience.  One test has a beautiful naked woman brought before him.  He becomes ill.  Then in the final scene, Alex's free will has returned and so has his original character.  That character would surely have molested that young woman and then taken the beating he no doubt would have gotten from the jailer.

Also, I think a theme in the movie is that prison is a way to protect society from improper behavior.  When Alex is released he ends up at the house of Mr. Alexander (via an unfortunate encounter with his former gang).  There isn't any initial recognition by Mr. Alexander, but he eventually realizes who Alex is.  He concocts a scheme to torment Alex.  So here we have a model citizen who when given the opportunity turns into a version of Alex driven by a desire for vengence.