In the near future, where the United States is but a shadow of
its former world-power-self, England has become a dominant power through the
guiding force of High Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt), who has also turned the
country into a fascist police state, thanks to his constant fear-mongering about
various sordid threats to this overly paranoid society. The arts have been
censored, and many "undesirables" have been carted off to prison. Yet even the
strictly enforced evening curfews won’t keep a young woman named Evey (Natalie
Portman) from enjoying the illicit company of her lover. Or so she thinks. No
sooner does she step foot onto the street than Evey is caught by a squad of
Fingermen--undercover secret police who plan to have some malicious fun with
Evey before they bring her to jail.
Yet their good times are spoiled by the appearance of a knife-wielding man clad
in black, and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. For those who may not know, Guy Fawkes
was a British protestor who sought to kill King James I and the members of
Parliament on November 4th 1605 with what became known as The Gunpowder Plot.
Fawkes and his co-conspirators had planned to carry out the assassination by
blowing up Westminster Palace while it was in session--yet their plans were
foiled and Fawkes was put to death by the government. After her unusual
rescuer--who introduces himself as V--dispatches her attackers, Evey soon learns
that he wears the Guy Fawkes mask for far more than just style. For V plans to
take down the fascist regime that rules England in much the same way that Guy
Fawkes had planned…with a bang.
Directed by James McTeigue and written and produced by the Wachowski Brothers, V
For Vendetta is an adaptation of the graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and
artist David Lloyd. Moore has famously denounced the film, and his name had been
removed from the credits at his urging. Yet despite the changes in the
story--updating it to a post 9/11 world--V For Vendetta still serves as a potent, thoughtful brew that
remains in the mind long after one has viewed it. The very fact that V is
essentially a terrorist, using terrorist’s methods to get his point across, and
yet still comes across as being sympathetic is due much to the superb efforts of
actor Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from The Matrix films) as much as the script.
Weaving expertly manages to create a three dimensional character (albeit, one with a
dark side) all without the use of his face, which is always hidden by the Guy Fawkes
mask, with its knowing smile.
Natalie Portman is also very good in her role as the sympathetic Evey, an everyday
woman with a dark past who at first is just trying to keep her head down, but
soon becomes seduced to V’s ideas of freedom and liberty, and how they are
ultimately worth fighting for. I reviewed the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD, which
comes with a second disc filled with special features. There are no
commentaries--which, for the Wachowskis, is nothing new, since they’ve always
preferred to let the viewer make up their own minds about their work. The
special features include several making of documentaries that examine
specific production aspects of the film--as well as a historical look at The
Gunpowder Plot. The second disc also has an Easter egg with Natalie Portman
singing a rap parody that originally aired on Saturday Night Live--just click on
the eagle shield at the top of the menu to access this. In many ways, V For
Vendetta is much like The Matrix--an SF-tinged, super heroic fantasy with a
deeper, meaningful layer just under the surface. Director McTeigue, who also
worked with the Wachowskis on the Matrix films, manages to deftly create an
action film with super heroic underpinnings that still provokes a great deal of
thought: usually well after the film is over.
--SF
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