V for Vendetta Review
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 03.17.2006
How about A for Awesome?
V FOR VENDETTA
March 17, 2006
Evey: Natalie Portman
V: Hugo Weaving
Chief Inspector Finch: Stephen Rea
Chancellor Adam Sutler: John Hurt
Warner Brothers presents a film directed by John McTeigue; screenplay by The Wachowski Brothers, based on the graphic novel by Alan More and illustrated by David Lloyd. The running time is 132 minutes. It is rated R for strong violence and some language.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER, 411Movies
The Wachowski Brothers made a huge name for themselves when "The Matrix" trilogy caught on and became hugely popular. Their brilliance was called into question with the turgid final installment of their trilogy, but no one can deny the impact their films had. "I know Kung Fu" became a catchphrase of sorts for the trilogy's erstwhile star Keanu Reeves.
Now three years after their trilogy wrapped up, their next project has been unveiled. "V for Vendetta," based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore (following other recent graphic novel adaptations like "Sin City" and "A History of Violence), this film is anything but a second coming of "The Matrix." It's a much different film, and in every way a better one. It's intelligent and well-written, and there are no eye-rolling moments that populated "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions." Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman both give masterful performances in a film that begs to inspire ideas and conversations, and it does a terrific job.
Weaving (who played the enigmatic Mr. Smith in "Matrix") plays the mysterious "V," a masked crusader for the rights of the people. He takes inspiration from Guy Fawkes, a seventeenth century rebel who challenged the totalitarian regime of the time. "Vendetta" takes place in the not-to-distant future, but the United States has become "the former United States," and little more than a "leper colony" according to one character. Britain has come under the rule of Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt, who played a character on the opposite end of the spectrum in "1984," a film "Vendetta" is instantly comparable to).
Sutler is the kind of leader who believes in compliance and unquestioned loyalty. He controls the news stations to help maintain a semblance of control though submission. As one newscaster says, "we report the news, fabricating it is the government's job."
The news is broadcast on the only TV channel left, which is where Evey (Portman), our other main character, works. V and Evey cross paths during one of V's demonstrations, and fate of sorts brings them together. Evey takes on the role of visual conscience for the audience, as she begins to wonder exactly what we should be wondering about V. Is he a noble vigilante or a brutal street thug? Is fighting violence with violence the right answer? This just only begins to scratch the surface of the issues "Vendetta" brings up. With all of the "issue" films that were big at this year's Oscars ("Good Night and Good Luck," "Crash," "Munich," etc.), "Vendetta" should be lined up alongside them for relevance.
While Portman's shaved head drew a lot of attention, and her performance is very good, the film works primarily because of Weaving's masterful performance. Hidden behind a mask for the duration of the movie, he is robbed of facial expressions, one of actors' most valuable tools. With his carefully measured speech serves him well during his many monologues, and he instantly makes V a truly memorable character.
Reading over this review it looks very scattershot to me, so I'm not sure how this will read to you. The review was written much in the way the film appeared to me – going in a lot of different directions and touching on a lot of different things. "V for Vendetta" isn't a perfect film (it lost me a little at the end), but it is highly ambitious and extremely engrossing. It was a daring picture for a major studio (Warner Brothers) to make, and that is something to admire.
The 411: Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving star in this fascinating graphic novel adaptation that recalls “1984” and “Brave New World.” It presents a myriad of ideas and a number of fantastic sequences, and this is a rare movie that I’m really itching to see for a second time.
