Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, who asked that his
name be removed from the film, and David Lloyed, V for Vendetta tells the story
of a masked vigilante fighting against a totalitarian state in a dystopian
England. The film begins on the eve of the 5th of November, the anniversary of
Guy Fawkes ill-fated attempt to blow up parliament with gun powder. We meet a
young girl Evey who is saved from the "finger-men", or secret
government agents, by the mysterious "V", a man who wears a Guy
Fawkes mask and speaks in a florid style. V takes her to the rooftops to witness
an exploding Old Bailey. Bit by bit we learn what has sparked V's mission of
revenge against the government, Evey's transition from a slightly disillusioned
citizen to a revolutionary, and the workings of a fascistic state. It is an
important film for what it tells us about how totalitarian governments come to
power and operate, keeping the populace ignorant through media and various
manipulations of events. It makes strong points on homophobia, racism,
terrorism and justice. Unfortunately, much of this is undercut by poor
directorial decisions that leave everything feeling a little flat.
The film comprises a great cast, with Natalie Portman as
Evey, Hugo Weaving as V, Steven Fry, Roger Allam and others. I especially like
the casting of John Hurt as the dictator, Adam Sutler, in reference to his
earlier role as Winston Smith in the film 1984. This time around Hurt is
playing the role of Big Brother, looming over his underlings from a giant
television screen. There is so much material for the film makers to work with
that it seems they were at a loss as to what to do with it. The screenplay is
written by the Wachowskis, whose work on the
Matrix series shows they are not averse to political and thoughtful
work. But here they never seem to get beneath the surface of what is going on.
The plot turns into a simple cat and mouse game with the men hunting for V and
much of the commentary on fascism is unexceptional. Things are not helped by
the film being a little overlong and the editing decisions meaning that certain
subplots and characters disappear for long stretches rather than being woven
together in a satisfactory way. This is something that works in a comic book,
but less well on film.
I would definitely recommend giving it a watch as there are
a couple of standout scenes and a solid cast. The direction at times is a
little underwhelming that lets down some solid material. The comic is a complex
work that features numerous grey character and the attempt to shoehorn it into
a typical superhero format leaves it
feeling like you a missing something. The main thing the film is now known for,
along with the comic, is the origin of the Guy Fawkes mask that has come to be
used as a common symbol of the fight against oppression for a number of causes.
If nothing else it gives a pretty comprehensive account of how easy it is for
societies to slip into totalitarianism if the citizens do not remain vigilant.
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