V for Victory (V for Vendetta (DVD))

Member Name: Wolfzilla

Product:	V for Vendetta (DVD)
Date:	10/10/08 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well acted, well written, well shot action scenes, well good

Disadvantages: Well Alan Moore didn't like it

I'm not exactly sure how I managed to avoid seeing V For Vendetta for so long, ordinarily comic book movies are a first port of call for me, perhaps its because I never read the Watchmen graphic novel in my funnybook loving days, perhaps because I just never liked the Wachowski brothers' famous Matrix trilogy, but for whatever reason I managed to ignore the film for 3 years before a friend insisted I watch the DVD with her.

Set in the not too far flung future, Britain is a dictatorship under the guidance of Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) and his sadistic right hand man Creedy (Tim Piggot-Smith) the borders are closed, fascism is the order of the day and the news is fabricated to best serve the interests of Sutler and his cronies.

Into this world we meet Evey (Natalie Portman) a worker at a tv station who makes the mistake of wandering out after the 11pm curfew one night and being almost raped by some of Creedy's ruthless 'fingermen' cops. This is prevented by the intervention of V (Hugo Weaving), a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask who dispatches the fingermen with a mixture of kung fu and throwing knives. After introducing himself he takes Evey a trip to a rooftop in order to witness a scheme of his to blow up the Old Bailey.

The following day the two have another chance meeting as V takes over the tv station at which she works to broadcast a message of intent, that he will do what Guy Fawkes couldn't and blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 5th of November. In the ensuing scuffle to escape, Evey saves him from the police, but is knocked out in the process. With no other option, V takes her back to his 'Shadow Gallery' where he plots his grand scheme amongst relics of 20th century society banned by Sutler and his Government, as well as revenge on those who relegated him to life behind a mask.

I have to say the plot for V For Vendetta, and this is a rarity for a superhero movie, was actually brilliantly written, not dumbed down or afraid of alienating or irritating people. For a start it's hard to call V a superhero, he is technically a terrorist, and that is the contradiction the film builds itself around. There's no denying that Sutler and his cronies are the greater evil, but V's dapper speech and mannerisms disguise the fact he has no qualms with murder and using people to get what he wants. He's so charismatic you can't help but root for him, but he's far from the blue eyed good guy that would hang about with Superman and The Flash in the Justice League bar. This makes you think about vigilantes more than JJ bleating about Spiderman being a menace or even any question of Batman in Nolan's rebooted franchise, as it is presented as a serious plot issue for us to question, and V himself refers to himself as a monster, not a hero.

Where the film also succeeds so well is presenting the dystopian future not in an over the top fashion, but in a starkly plausible fashion, even presenting a believable plot for how Sutler and co could rise to power in such a fashion. The inspiration is clearly Nazi Germany, perhaps unnecessarily rubbed in your face by Sutler's leather trench coat and gloves in flashbacks to his campaign, which is perhaps why it resonates so much, because had history turned out differently, this state could quite easily exist.

The characters, and the acting that brings them to life, is also important in the film's success. Amusingly, given that she is the main character, Portman's Evey is arguably the least interesting character in the film. This is perhaps to let us relate to her more, as she is the closest we have to a point to relate to. Portman handles the role well enough, but really gets overshadowed by her supporting cast, if it's right to call them that.

Weaving is the show as V. Robbed of the ability to use facial expressions in his performance, Weaving has to rely on over-emphasised body movements and his voice to bring V to life, and he does so incredibly. V is like something out of another time, perhaps inspired by the swashbuckling B&W action movies he watches over and over on his tv.

In a nice nod to 1984, Hurt's casting as the Big Brother this time is good for more than nostalgia, he brings an air of authority and believability to the role. It's plausible to see him convincing the people his way is the way forward, but at the same time realise how sadistic he is. Further credit must go to supporting players Stephen Rea as Inspector Finch, a cop who starts to suspect foul play on the part of Sutler, and Stephen Fry as a character not too far removed from himself. Rea brings a real air of World weariness to Finch that makes him more than another bitter screen-cop, and I don't suppose playing a charismatic tv star who is a closet homosexual will have been much of a stretch for Fry, but the fact he basically plays the role as Stephen Fry adds that air of authority to it that another actor just couldn't have brought to proceedings.

Let's not get this mixed up for a straight-laced drama though, the film also manages to keep the adrenaline pumping through a series of well shot and exciting action sequences, mercifully with minimal delving into the Wachowski's 'bullet time'. Despite his dapper mannerisms, it turns out V is a martial arts expert, and also rather hand with those throwing knives of his, putting both skills to good use on various enemies. It may not be an over-the-top explosion-fest of an action film, but don't let the solid plot and production values fool you, V For Vendetta is an action film at heart and you'd struggle to grow bored during it.

While it may seem a little gushing, I think V For Vendetta is well worthy of the full marks I'm giving it. It's been a while since I watched a new movie and could say I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it, but V, in the style of the main character, pulled it off with a dramatic flair that I didn't think I had it in me to get sucked in by anymore. It's a fantastic movie, well acted and written, but also boasting some superior action scenes and managing to combine it all into a nicely rounded package I'd recommend to anybody.

Summary: The thinking man's action film