Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

A Clockwork Orange

Play trailer Poster for A Clockwork Orange R 1971 2h 17m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
83% Tomatometer 129 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In an England of the future, Alex and his "Droogs" spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultraviolence," while jauntily warbling "Singin' in the Rain." After he's jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Disturbing and thought-provoking, A Clockwork Orange is a cold, dystopian nightmare with a very dark sense of humor.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Myles Standish St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 days ago
It is a movie in which the eyes are captured by brilliant and incisive images with bizarre decor, the ears engulfed in music, the sense of the incongruous bemused by the sardonic, cynical humor of Kubrick. Go to Full Review Patrick Gibbs Daily Telegraph (UK) 6 days ago
The impression left is of much self-confidence, indeed exuberance, in handling the serious subject, but little sense of taste. Go to Full Review William B. Collins Philadelphia Inquirer 6 days ago
Kubrick, the legendarily painstaking filmmaker, has done well on all points except the film's center of meaning, which is empty. Go to Full Review Bill Morrison News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) 6 days ago
It is a cinematic cocktail with the taste of champagne and the bite of grain alcohol. You drink it until you are sober. Go to Full Review Noel Taylor Ottawa Citizen 6 days ago
In every sense, this is a director's picture, bursting with an originality and a nervous energy which sets it apart from the norms of satire. What everyone else has tried, Kubrick improves. Go to Full Review J. Oliver Prescott Tampa Bay Times 6 days ago
A Clockwork Orange is, in the end, one of the least titillating films of all time. It enters our subconscious through our minds, not through our emotions. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
thomas p Sep 22, 2025 brilliant one of the best movies ever See more Teddy B @RT90521672 2 days ago Masterfully constructed with a powerhouse performance in anti-heroism from McDowell, 'A Clockwork Orange' largely captures the spirit (and much of the classic dialogue) of its masterful source material, even if Kubrick's coldness (as in many of his adaptations) is at ends with the ultimate message of the novel. Kubrick amplifies the cruelty and bureaucratic tedium with undeniable zeal, but always turns himself away from any original conclusion that comes close to positive or heartwarming, believing in unending cycles of violence and viciousness. Having Kubrick adapt your novel---especially with one as concise, lean, mean, intelligent, confronting, but ultimately hopeful as 'A Clockwork Orange'---must be a bumpy, bumpy ride... See more Tom F @RT55173143 4 days ago More disturbing and more thought-provoking with every rewatch. See more Andrew T @RT72355796 6 days ago This is the most genius movie I have ever seen. The way in which this movie was crafted is simply mesmerizing! I do not understand how it is even possible for someone to make a movie feel like an abstract artwork. 10/10 See more coyote T @trextomatoe Oct 10, 2026 An original movie ahead of its time. Entertaining I loved it. Stanley is a bold, courageous, man. Refreshing to see. See more Brandon B @syncopatedbeet Sep 30, 2026 At times it’s “ultra violence” creates a bleak observation into the mind of a lunatic however it does not seem to have any redemption for the loss soul other than stylized glorification. See more Read all reviews
A Clockwork Orange

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Stanley Kubrick

Director

Malcolm McDowell

Alex DeLarge

Patrick Magee

Frank Alexander

Michael Bates

Chief Guard Barnes

Warren Clarke

Dim

John Clive

Stage Actor

More Like This

View All
Gaily, Gaily 50% % Gaily, Gaily Watchlist Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) 88% 69% Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) Watchlist Brewster McCloud 87% 80% Brewster McCloud Watchlist O Lucky Man! 82% 87% O Lucky Man! Watchlist Where's Poppa? 82% 69% Where's Poppa? Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange (1971) On the set of the film "A Clockwork Orange." A scene from the film "A Clockwork Orange." A scene from the film "A Clockwork Orange." A scene from the film "A Clockwork Orange." A scene from the film "A Clockwork Orange." A scene from the film "A Clockwork Orange." A Clockwork Orange (1971) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In an England of the future, Alex and his "Droogs" spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultraviolence," while jauntily warbling "Singin' in the Rain." After he's jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims.
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter
Anthony Burgess
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Hawk Films, Polaris Productions, Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 2, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Runtime
2h 17m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings