Surprising!

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2011)

I came across this film by pure accident: a list on a blog somewhere of good 'revolutionary' films. I rented it, watched it... then bought it. It's that good.
Admittedly there are many things I find a little rough, like V's overt theatricality (yes, it's part of the character; yes, it's a bit too heavy), the very typical characterisation of the religious leader (who's actually a pervert behind closed doors), the brutal dictatorship based on religion and so on. However, they're just standard tools to tell a story and this one's VERY well told.
The casting is excellent. Portman's brilliant as usual, Weaving proves you don't need to have your face all over the screen to have presence, Rea does a wonderful job of being the cop torn between justice and feelings (and narrating certain parts so they're clear, without seeming like he's narrating) and even Fry (who I'm not a fan of, really) is cast in just the right role. John Hurt? No need to wonder, he's always great.
All in all, there are some heavy-handed moments and the script's a bit OTT but then that's to be expected from a graphic novel conversion and it works with the theatrical feel of the film.
Very, very enjoyable. Some nice surprises, great characterisation, enough action and suspense to keep things moving to the end and a positive message. It may not be the best movie in the world (or even of the year it was released), but it's definitely one you shouldn't miss.