Review - V for Vendetta (2006)
Hey guys, Chuck here. Today, I'll be taking a look at the movie V for Vendetta.
Released in 2006, this political action thriller is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film was written and produced by the Wachowskis, the filmmaking duo behind The Matrix Trilogy, and was directed by James McTeigue. The film is set in a future dystopian London, under the thumb of a fascist regime, and focuses on a masked vigilante known as V (played by Hugo Weaving). On an early November's night, V meets a woman named Evey Hammond (played by Natalie Portman), and after rescuing her from a group of Fingermen, he takes her to a rooftop where they witness the destruction of the Old Bailey at the stroke of midnight on November 5th. The following day, V announces that he intends to do the same to the Parliament building in exactly one year. The rest of the film focuses on the investigation into V, and attempting to prevent V from destroying Parliament on the fifth on November. Meanwhile, the inspector heading up the investigation, Inspector Finch (played by Stephen Rea), discovers that the government may have been behind a terrible viral attack on England years before. At the same time, V begins killing off several individuals who were responsible for turning him into who he had become. As the film goes on, V also begins to make additional moves to confront High Chancellor Sutler (played by John Hurt), sends out packages across London filled with his signature attire (a black wig, black cloak, and Guy Fawkes mask), and rigs a train with explosives to destroy Parliament on the Fifth of November. Evey, meanwhile, after surviving a makeshift detention center set up by V, has been staying off the grid and avoiding detection (even stating that a "Fake I.D. works better than a Guy Fawkes mask"). On the night that V is set to destroy Parliament, he confronts a government official named Creedy (played by Tim Pigott-Smith), who has Sutler in his custody. After V says a few words to Sutler, Creedy shoots Sutler in the head. After a fight between V, Creedy, and his men, Creedy and his men are killed by V, who himself is dying of his wounds. After he dies in Evey's arms, she places his body on the train, and after a confrontation with Finch, she dispatches the train. And the rest, as they say, is history.
This film, as well as the Guy Fawkes mask, has become more symbolic over the years, as the mask has been used across the globe as, according to David Lloyd, a "common brand and a convenient placard to use against tyranny." The first time I watched the film was at an independent theater in Oakland during an event held at the theater by the Occupy movement. However, I'm not going to make this a politically driven post. I merely looked to point out the fact that this movie has found an audience due to the political climate around the world today. The movie itself is very well done, and all of the cast of the film, especially Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, were terrific. While I have not read the original graphic novel, I am aware that the film is much more Americanized than the graphic novel, which itself was a political satire of the British Government in the 1980's. However, the film, on its own is terrific, and it's one I watch every year on November 5th. I give V for Vendetta a rating of 5/5.
This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
Released in 2006, this political action thriller is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film was written and produced by the Wachowskis, the filmmaking duo behind The Matrix Trilogy, and was directed by James McTeigue. The film is set in a future dystopian London, under the thumb of a fascist regime, and focuses on a masked vigilante known as V (played by Hugo Weaving). On an early November's night, V meets a woman named Evey Hammond (played by Natalie Portman), and after rescuing her from a group of Fingermen, he takes her to a rooftop where they witness the destruction of the Old Bailey at the stroke of midnight on November 5th. The following day, V announces that he intends to do the same to the Parliament building in exactly one year. The rest of the film focuses on the investigation into V, and attempting to prevent V from destroying Parliament on the fifth on November. Meanwhile, the inspector heading up the investigation, Inspector Finch (played by Stephen Rea), discovers that the government may have been behind a terrible viral attack on England years before. At the same time, V begins killing off several individuals who were responsible for turning him into who he had become. As the film goes on, V also begins to make additional moves to confront High Chancellor Sutler (played by John Hurt), sends out packages across London filled with his signature attire (a black wig, black cloak, and Guy Fawkes mask), and rigs a train with explosives to destroy Parliament on the Fifth of November. Evey, meanwhile, after surviving a makeshift detention center set up by V, has been staying off the grid and avoiding detection (even stating that a "Fake I.D. works better than a Guy Fawkes mask"). On the night that V is set to destroy Parliament, he confronts a government official named Creedy (played by Tim Pigott-Smith), who has Sutler in his custody. After V says a few words to Sutler, Creedy shoots Sutler in the head. After a fight between V, Creedy, and his men, Creedy and his men are killed by V, who himself is dying of his wounds. After he dies in Evey's arms, she places his body on the train, and after a confrontation with Finch, she dispatches the train. And the rest, as they say, is history.
This film, as well as the Guy Fawkes mask, has become more symbolic over the years, as the mask has been used across the globe as, according to David Lloyd, a "common brand and a convenient placard to use against tyranny." The first time I watched the film was at an independent theater in Oakland during an event held at the theater by the Occupy movement. However, I'm not going to make this a politically driven post. I merely looked to point out the fact that this movie has found an audience due to the political climate around the world today. The movie itself is very well done, and all of the cast of the film, especially Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, were terrific. While I have not read the original graphic novel, I am aware that the film is much more Americanized than the graphic novel, which itself was a political satire of the British Government in the 1980's. However, the film, on its own is terrific, and it's one I watch every year on November 5th. I give V for Vendetta a rating of 5/5.
This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
Comments
Post a Comment