Despite the grotesque actions and the sickening events of “A Clockwork Orange”,  it was a stunning and affecting film that really resonates with me; Kubrick just knew how to control the emotions of the viewer, and Malcolm McDowell gave one of the greatest performances I’ve seen on film. Film School Rejects looks back:

Back when I was in high school, this movie came to me at just the right age. I had that spirit of invincibility matched with just the right undertones of knowing everything (alongside a love for classical music and thinking too deeply about bullshit) that makes Alex the most charismatic figure in the world. This is probably the most disturbing aspect of the film. Through Stanley Kubrick’s writing and directing, and McDowell’s portrayal of Alex, the main character becomes the audience’s best friend despite the horrors that he launches into the world. He’s essentially a guy you’d feel totally comfortable loaning money to, knowing full well that it would be in his pocket while he was punching the woman he’s raping in the face. He’s an anti-non-profit. Someone you want to be loved by who only has love for himself and for his kicks. The only real reason it works is that he seems so childishly innocent. Even while he’s committing grotesqueries, there’s something about him that makes you think, “Aww…the kid just doesn’t know any better.”

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