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A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven.

1971136 minRMidcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Starring
Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Carl Duering, Michael Bates

In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?

Where to watch

Where can I watch A Clockwork Orange?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists A Clockwork Orange streaming on HBO Max.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about A Clockwork Orange?

A Clockwork Orange earns 15 badges, led by Top 1% of the 1970s and Stood the test of time.

Show 7 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is A Clockwork Orange worth watching?

A Clockwork Orange's Midcredits score is the 98th percentile of all films, from 2.5M ratings across 6 sources. 87% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

98th percentile

Better received than 98% of films

98th percentile among Crime99th percentile among 1970s
Acclaim (how much people like it)98th
Approval (how many liked it)96th

82 /100

98th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Crime98th percentile among 1970s

Critics 77 · Audience 82

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

87% liked it

96th percentile of all films

96th percentile among Crime98th percentile among 1970s
87% rated it 7–1013% rated it 1–6

Critics 86% · Audience 93%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 4 Oscar noms · 12 wins / 26 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Director
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Film Editing

99th percentile

2.5M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Crime99th percentile among 1970s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$2.2M
Domestic gross$27M
Worldwide gross$27M

Returned 12.4× its budget — 87th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a deliberately provocative, stylized depiction of a violent dystopia that uses classical music to ironic effect.

Fans praised

  • Daring satirical look at free will and social conditioning
  • McDowell's magnetic, chilling lead performance as Alex
  • Groundbreaking visual style and classical music juxtaposition

Detractors panned

  • Gratuitous violence and sexual assault depicted for shock value
  • Thin plot wrapped in pretentious, over-stylized presentation
  • Fails to meaningfully condemn its monstrous protagonist

What stands out

Sound and musicDivisive90

Ironic Beethoven score and eerie electronic soundtrack

OriginalityDivisive90

Unparalleled fusion of satire, ultraviolence, and classical music

AtmosphereDivisive88

Dystopian nightmare of dehumanizing futurism

CinematographyDivisive88

Striking symmetrical compositions and surreal sets

ActingDivisive85

McDowell's career-defining charismatic menace

DialogueDivisive80

Inventive Nadsat slang and darkly comic narration

CharactersDivisive75

Alex as loathsome yet compelling anti-hero

Plot and storyDivisive70

Ludovico Technique as state-control cautionary tale

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 6 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 1 point apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Watch experience

What is A Clockwork Orange like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark comedy: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want to laugh at things you probably shouldn't.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Dark comedy.

Moods
TenseAbsurd
Heaviest: late
Satirical humor
The answer rests on this: Register
Satirical · 5% of filmsCold and cerebral · 4% of films: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneKubrick presents ultraviolence and sexual violence with a cold, satirical eye, often set to jaunty classical music, creating an ironic disjunction.
The rideThe film maintains a tense, absurd tone throughout, with the heaviest emotional weight in the later conditioning and revenge sequences.
StructureThe story unfolds chronologically in three clear acts: Alex's life of crime, the Ludovico treatment, and his release into a hostile world.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you questioning free will and morality, with a lingering unease about society and Alex's fate.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% (this title) · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Oppressive state: A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeAlex DeLarge battles the state's dehumanizing conditioning program after a life of ultra-violence.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFree willIdeas
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% (this title) · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% · Free will under 1% (this title) · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Ideas

Free will · under 1% of filmsJustice · 13% of filmsViolence · 4% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film interrogates whether enforced goodness robs humanity of its free will and moral choice.
StanceThe film interrogates the concept of forced goodness and the nature of free will through Alex's ordeal.

The world

Near futureUrbanRuralInstitutionalScience fiction
Orchestral classicalElectronicForeground music · hybrid · Wendy Carlos
SettingA stylized future Britain where youth gangs roam freely and the state experiments with behavioral conditioning.
MusicThe use of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Wendy Carlos's Moog synthesizer score are integral to the film's ironic tone.

Content guide

Is A Clockwork Orange okay for kids?

R

A Clockwork Orange is rated R. As of October 2, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (88/100), sexual content at severe (93/100), language at intense (61/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (59/100) and frightening material at severe (91/100). Overall it is heavier than 95% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 29 other countries
  • UK18
  • CanadaR
  • AustraliaR 18+
  • Germany16
  • France18
  • Ireland18
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil18
  • Argentina+18
  • Belgium18
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-18
  • GreeceK18
  • Hong KongIII
  • Italy18+
  • LTN-18
  • MexicoC
  • Netherlands18
  • Norway18
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/18
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeR21
  • South Africa18
  • Spain18
  • Sweden15
  • Taiwan18+
  • Türkiye18+
Overall
Severe · all five categories
Heavier than 97% of all filmsHeavier than 95% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 79%
Sex & Nudity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 99%
Profanity
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 39%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 75%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 95%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: sexual content, frightening material, violence, and language.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does A Clockwork Orange have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in A Clockwork Orange?

Cast

Malcolm McDowell
as Alex
Patrick Magee
as Mr Alexander
Carl Duering
as Dr. Brodsky
Michael Bates
as Chief Guard
Warren Clarke
as Dim
Miriam Karlin
as Catlady
Adrienne Corri
as Mrs. Alexander
Sheila Raynor
as Mum
Philip Stone
as Dad
Aubrey Morris
as Deltoid

Crew

More like this

What are movies like A Clockwork Orange?

Movies like A Clockwork Orange include Brazil (1985), Alphaville (1965) and Metropia (2009). Of the 12 closest matches, most are films set in the near future, and several are films about free will.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

11 of these 12 share its world: dystopian. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with A Clockwork Orange?

635 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: dystopian. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.