Remember Remember

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2013)

What can anyone do in the face of true tyranny? When simple criticism is outlawed, what chance does a revolution have? How do you inspire a nation that's been bullied into silence?
The story begins with a comment on the power of an individual idea. Additionally, we are given a brief history of a failed rebellion in Great Britain and the man behind it, Guy Fawkes (portrayed by Clive Ashborn). Next, we flash-forward to an unspecified point in the United Kingdom's future. A future in which a man by the name of Lewis Prothero (called The Voice of London and played by Roger Allam) has his own nightly broadcast and uses it to espouse his own political beliefs which always ends with the phrase "good guys win, bad guys lose, and, as always, England prevails". Prothero is shown to the viewer on two different screens being watched by two different people. One of them, Evey Hammond (portrayed by Natalie Portman) is preparing for an evening out and turns off her television as she leaves, saying "That's quite enough of that. Thank you very much." The other viewer is left unidentified. Once Hammond has left her home, a public address system notifies the citizenry that a "yellow coded" curfew is now in effect. Worried that she might face consequences if she is discovered, Hammond suddenly hurries. Unfortunately, she is accosted by two men. Soon after threatening her, they identify themselves as government officials and make it clear that they intend to assault her. All seems lost for Ms. Hammond until a masked man, (voiced by Hugo Weaving) intervenes on her behalf. Our man in the mask subdues Ms Hammond's attackers and then tells her that she may call him V. V claims to be a musician on the way to a concert and asks Evey to join him. V appears delusional to Evey at first, conducting a symphony that she can neither see nor hear, when the same public address system that informed of the curfew begins playing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Before the song is finished, she is surprised again by an explosion which destroys the Old Bailey, home of the Central Criminal Court and an iconic piece of London architecture. As V revels in the destruction of the Old Bailey, it becomes clear to Evey that he was responsible and as government officials observe her next to V in the surveillance footage, they incorrectly assume Evey was somehow involved.
When V for Vendetta was first in theaters, it was the source of much debate. Fans of the graphic novel complained that it took liberties with the story. Others worried that it justified terrorism. Having not read the graphic novel, I can't comment on the first part. On the second part, at the time it occurred, people might've seen the Boston Tea Party as terrorism. In a totalitarian state, where dissent is a criminal act in and of itself, terrorism might very well be the best vehicle for change. And it's because of that, an engaging and suspenseful story, and stellar performances from the main and supporting cast that I count V for Vendetta among my favorite movies. I have seen it many times since it was released on DVD and I will, no doubt, watch it many more. If what I've written intrigues you at all and you haven't seen this film yet, you absolutely should. Just one man's opinion.