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V
for Vendetta
"Remember
remember, the 5th of November" is the
ominous line that begins V for Vendetta,
the film adaptation of the 1980s graphic
novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated
by David Lloyd. It is an apt quotation,
referencing the failed attempt by Guy
Fawkes in 1605 to blow up the British
Parliament since Vendetta is as much a
political film as an action film. The
story is set in the not-so-distant future,
when the United States is experiencing
another civil war and Britain is under
the control of a hard-line chancellor
who has banned most artwork, religious
texts like the Koran, and largely killed
or quieted political opposition. "V,"
the Guy Fawkes-masked villain played by
Hugo Weaving, employs terrorist attacks
to protest and revolt against his totalitarian
government, and to exact revenge on those
who subjected him and countless others
to inhumane treatment at the mysterious
Larkhail Detention Center. V finds a potential
ally and friend in Evey (Natalie Portman),
an everyday working girl at the country's
only news station when he saves her from
attack by the Finger Men police, and again
from arrest by the police and possible
torture. V's plan is to start a revolution
by blowing up Parliament on November 5th,
with all of London and anyone else in
Britain showing up for the fireworks.
There was
little chance that, given the right director
and cast, this film would not keep audiences
at the edge of their seats from beginning
to end; it haf an amazing graphic novel
as a source of its rich material. The
novel was created in part as commentary
on the Thatcherite U.K. of the 1980s,
but, although set in the future, it resonates
with such current issues as free speech,
repression, integrity of journalism, fears
of a too-powerful government, and persecution
of difference. Unfortunately, Alan Moore
did not participate in the film adaptation
of his novel, but Andy and Larry Wachowski
wrote a tight script that left few unanswered
plot questions. Hugo Weaving does an amazing
job personalizing V's character in spite
of the fact that he never takes off his
mask, due to a deformity suffered by torture
while imprisoned in Larkhail. Natalie
Portman and Stephen Rea convincingly embody
their characters and brilliantly develop
their characters' personal arcs throughout
the film.
Special mention is due James McTeigue,
assistant director to the Wachowski brothers
on their Matrix trilogy, for excellent
directing his first time out. Some viewers
might feel bombarded by the messages of
this film; others might be confused over
V's genesis and what exactly occurred
at Larkhail. Despite these shortcomings,
V for Vendetta raises the bar for action
films in direction, story, and style,
and will surely have viewers talking for
some time to come.
Misa Dayson
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