"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
"V for Vendetta" is not only one of the best graphic novel movies, but one of the best movies this writer has ever seen. The movie is set in the United Kingdom in what appears to be the near future. After what the voice of the nation called Godlessness caused the fall of the United States, tragedies like disease and war caused the collapse of the United Kingdom. In desperate need of a fresh start, tyrannical leadership gripped the United Kingdom and never let go. From all of the evil bred a hero determined to rid his country of corrupt government by any means necessary.
"V for Vendetta" stars Hugo Weaving as V and Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond. Portman plays a woman who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and attacked by corrupt police officers known as "Fingermen". Evey is eventually saved by the masked vigilante V. While it seemed like a coincidence to Evey, V looked at this moment as part of god's plan being put into motion. Or as V said "...I, like God, do not play with dice and don't believe in coincidence.". This quotes and the other poetic moments in this movie kept viewers enthralled every time V was on the screen. Despite never seeing V's face, Weaving puts on a great performance eloquently using the dialogue given to him to captivate the audience. It was very Shakespearean how he spoke the lines. Natalie Portman also does a good job playing a woman who plays more than just a cog in V's plan. John Hurt also gives an underrated performance as very Hitler-esc character. His was perfect for his character who became very easy to despise. Tim Pigott-Smith also did a terrific job playing the one of Hurt's right hand men. It's even debatable if he was as evil or more evil than the main antagonist.
The movie is listed as a drama because of it's serious nature. While this movie was based on "V for Vendetta" graphic novel, there isn't a tremendous amount of action that most fans of comic book and graphic novel movies are used to. The action in the movie is well placed though. The writers and directors did a great job of placing the action where it was appropriate as opposed to just throwing in a fight seen just for the sake of keeping people into the movie. They seemed to just rely on the fact that the movie's plot, acting, and topic was enough to keep their audience captivated. They were correct. Rarely do people have negative things to say about "V for Vendetta". It might be due to the fact that it is not a well known story or because it didn't come with a name like "Sin City" giving off an impression that this movie is something that it's not.
Lastly, this writer highly recommends this movie. It's a near flawless drama with superb acting, great subject matter, and even a message about standing up for what you think is right and never backing down. A perfect weekend movie to sit and enjoy on a chilly Autumn night. It is also a good representation of the graphic novel written by Alan Moore.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
