"Remember, Remember, The Fifth Of November." --- Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman)

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2006)

"V for Vendetta" (2006)
Directed By: James McTeigue
Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, & John Hurt
MPAA Rating: "R" (for strong violence and some language)
It is the year 2020. A deadly virus has decimated America. Britain is ruled by a Fascist dictator. The British people live in constant fear of their government. One man is brave enough to fight the oppression--one man with a mask frozen in a haunting grin and a shadowy demeanor. He is known simply as V (Weaving). He becomes a thorn in the side of the government and a constant target of the police. But, to the British people, he becomes a symbol of hope...the one person willing to face possible execution for the sake of freedom. By mere coincidence, V meets Evey Hammond (Portman), a young woman who works at the local television station. After rescuing her from two vile night patrolmen, V takes Evey to witness his spark--the action that will trigger his year-long revolution. Now, Evey is a target of the government and must either join V in his monumental revolution, which will alter her life forever, or turn V into the police, which will allow her to go back to her normal life. And she must choose quickly, for, if she does not, the government, led by Chancellor Adam Sutler (Hurt), will make the decision for her.
"V for Vendetta" opened to critical praise, financial success, and a strong response from audiences everywhere. I skipped it in theaters, despite the wonderful word-of-mouth, for some forgotten reason, but I had been anticipating its DVD release for quite some time. Now, it is time for me to write my review and I find it very difficult to do so. "V for Vendetta" is a wonderfully-made movie, well-acted, beautifully-directed, and skillfully-written...though, it feels somewhat incomplete. As it progresses, we are notified of the events that have led up to the world appearing as it does. A deadly virus devastated America, killing most of the population. In fear of winding up like the unlucky Americans, the British elected a Fascist dictator who has, instead of protecting his people, used fear, terror, and murder to keep them in a constant state of surrender. The movie centers around what happens after this. It tells of V, the masked man who fights against the government over the duration of one year--from November 5th to November 5th. We understand all of these events...but what happens afterward? That is the problem.
"V for Vendetta" ends with the final stage of V's revolution--a massive event that calls for instant and dramatic change. However, the message that V lived for, "Ideas Are Bulletproof!", is the same idea that makes me question the ending. Yes, Parliament is gone and many of the Fascist leaders lay dead...though, there are still others. If this Fascist dictatorship is dead, then another government must be instituted and, if it is not, then V's revolution was rather ineffective. Will things change for the better? We can only hope so, though this film does not do much in the way of implying that. We must rely on ourselves to decipher the ending, which is not a completely negative thing, though I would have preferred it had the movie been twenty minutes longer and had provided more evidence, which we could have used to formulate our own ending. I like to think that the dictatorship ended that night--or at least began its descent-- but what type of government would take its place? Democracy? Absolute Monarchy? Anarchy? We cannot be sure. You see, V fought to end the government that was in place...but he did not have a replacement government.
Do not get me wrong. "V for Vendetta" is an amazing movie--a prime example of how movies should be made. They should not rely too heavily on special effects, but these effects should not necessarily be ruled out completely. The writing should be intelligent and should not try to dumb down serious matters for audiences incapable of forming a thought beyond their desire to see a big building explode. "V for Vendetta" makes its audience invest, not only time, but an ample amount of thought to understand the movie. The use of symbolism is amazing, especially the domino sequence. The grand finale, is easily one of the best scenes of the year and was utterly awe-inspiring. Despite the ending leaving much to be desired, "V for Vendetta" is truly a wonderful film--one of the year's best motion pictures. Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are exceptional, the pacing is rapid, and the script is wonderfully-written. As V so eloquently states, "A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world." That statement sums up "V for Vendetta", as well. Scripts, by themselves, are powerless. But with enough competent filmmakers behind it, it can become so much more--a symbol that Hollywood still has some talent.
Final Thought: "V for Vendetta" is one of the year's best films, even though its ending could have been more complete.
Overall Rating: 9/10 (A)