Review 227: V for Vendetta (2005)

I’m not sure why V for Vendetta didn’t pull me in before now. In some ways, I’m surprised that I didn’t see it immediately. I regret it to a degree, but I think now was the perfect time for me to watch it. However, I was moved by the film as the themes in the film reflect those of the news. I give V for Vendetta the Must See rating.

V for Vendetta features amazing performances and an interesting story.

In a not too distant future, Britain is lead by a tyrannical leader A man known only as “V” (Hugo Weaving) fights to overthrow those in charge and free the people of the city. He accidentally recruits Evey (Natalie Portman) into his plot and she must decide her level of involvement or to turn in the terrorist.

I had a bad habit of ignoring the people responsible for the films being made for a long time. If I’d known the Wachowski’s were the writers for V for Vendetta only a few years after the Matrix I would have probably watched it. The film was the first lead directorial debut of James McTeigue who was an assistant director on the Matrix films. There is so much about the visuals in V for Vendetta that I love. The repetition in storytelling that shows the parallels of the past. The dialogue is intriguing. Hugo Weaving is a powerhouse even though we never see his face. I plan to read the graphic novel to see how much of this film was Alan Moore’s content.

Both Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are fantastic in this film. I thought her performance was really great and she was extremely relatable as Evey. Hugo Weaving’s portrayal of V was such a dynamic character. I wanted to know every detail of his backstory and yet I wanted their to be a mystery. I’m not sure if the ideas of a symbol being more powerful than a man in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy was inspired by V for Vendetta. However, the theme is prevalent in both. V is that symbol that inspires a country to fight the unfair government. When V tells Evey, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people,” I nodded in agreement.

In Conclusion…

I feel compelled to write so much on this film, but I’m sure there is tons out there. I want to become more acquainted with this film to understand all of it’s possible meanings. If you have never seen this film or it’s been a while I recommend watching it. The political messages in this film seem to ring true with the current state of our own electoral process. I guess it’s a coincidence that I finally watched this film this year. Yet, as Alan Moore wrote, “There is no coincidence. Only the illusion of coincidence.”