Vendetta
Topic: The Movies
"Remember, Remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot"

With these words the film "V For Vendetta" opens, giving the viewer an idea of what's coming, if they've got any familiarity with Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night, "celebrated" every November 5 in England. From there, the film hits a crest of awe and wonder, and never comes down from it.

I never read the comic on which this film is based, although I, and I'm pretty sure nearly every one that sees the film, will make an attempt to do so. Co-written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, V for Vendetta is a story of a dystopian future of an oppressive British government, opposed by a single man who uses sentiment of the people, genius, terrorism, and a mask of Guy Fawkes to simultaneously unite the people and destroy the government. The Wachowski Brothers, who brought us The Matrix, adapted it to film incredibly well.

V himself is played by Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and he has a challenge. Throughout the entire film, we never see a single shot of his face. The reason for this is the concept of V; which is that he's not a man. He's an ideal. Unfortunately, it's difficult to convey that in a comic. And an actor has a very hard job of conveying that as well. Hugo Weaving's voice and diction were perfect for this role, and he pulls it off masterfully. He rose to the challenge and excelled, and this was an amazing, if faceless, performance.

Natalie Portman plays Evey, and gets her ass kicked through the entire movie. However, in a manner of which Nietzche would approve, it does not kill her, and it makes her stronger. She's thoroughly believable, and her performance is the best I've ever seen from her. If I'd known she was that talented prior to Episode 1, I'd have been a lot more excited about seeing it. I don't know what Lucas did to squash her acting ability, but it's just another reason I'd like to slap him.

There's a lot of excellent performances in this film. The symbolism is everywhere, and I'll have to see it 3 or 4 times before I feel like I've caught most of it. This is a film that is deep, for the thinking person, and visceral at the same time, for the person that likes explosions. The movie is packed with subtleties, and nearly every scene makes you wonder what you might have missed. There's no tricks or twist endings, but the symbolism never stops.

The lines are intelligent, from V's alliterative and erudite ramblings, to his one-liners. The film includes Valerie's letter, and does it all the justice it deserves. All the dialogue is brilliant and well-performed, and I know people will be quoting a lot of it for a long time.

I normally make remarks and comments about a movie while I watch it, at least to myself. I make fun of the dialogue, the scenes, the writing itself. The entire time I was watching V, I just sat there and let it amaze me.

Don't get me wrong. This is not the greatest film ever made. It's not perfect, and has its down moments which leave you feeling a little disappointed by how anticlimactic they feel, even though deep down, you know that was the point of those scenes; they were meant to feel anticlimactic. I know there's a lot of better films out there. But of all the movies I could choose to watch, I can't think of a single film I'd rather see right now than "V for Vendetta."

I really can't do it justice in this 'blog entry. All I can recommend is that you see this film. Get to the theater and see it on the big screen, because it's one of those films. If you only see it on your television, you'll kick yourself, thinking "Damn... this would have been great on the big screen!"

And it is. Go see it.