A cautionary tale of flawed mercy and superhuman weakness

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2006)

This film is designed to walk the edge between what most people perceive as right and wrong, and as such, it will upset some, and gratify others. But like most artwork, I suspect most of the meaning you gain from the film actually comes from yourself and the way you want to see things.
Just as Guy Fawkes was seen by history as both a villain and a potential hero, this film embraces the duality of such human perceptions and offers them to the audience in equal slices.
For me the film was beautifully shot, and the characters richly portrayed. The action is finely tuned and merciless but spiced carefully throughout the story as flashbacks and history slowly reveal the characters and the culture.
Even though the film is very specific about the societies involved and how they got to where they are, I don't think the basic premise of the story is to pick on any one society, but rather to remind us that ideas are powerful things, and that when enough people have an idea, it can gain a life of its own, and become reality.
The story is laced with connections between characters and visual metaphors. It moves at a majestic pace and finishes with a crescendo.
For those who like their action movies thought provoking and their superheros flawed, I recommend this film highly.
Best Regards,