A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick's 1971 masterpiece, based on the book by Anthony Burgess, tells the story of violent teen Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his group of delinquent friends, who commit crimes on the streets of London. Eventually, Alex is arrested and convicted of murder and rape. He’s submitted into a new reform experiment, The Ludovico Technique, which entails the subject being induced to sickness while exposed to scenes of violence. The effect on Alex is that anytime he has a violent thought or urge, he becomes seriously ill, stopping him from committing such acts. Having finished the program, he is released back into society, but when he encounters those he has wronged and is threatened by them, he is powerless to protect himself. After being held captive by one of his victims, he attempts to kill himself, but lands in the hospital instead. His kidnapping and attempted suicide is played in the media and he gains the sympathy of the public while the effects of the Ludovico Technique wear off. The result? He's free and very much back to his old self.