Fun to watch, but nothing more.

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2006)

You have to give it to the Wachowski brothers (the writers); they do know how to entertain. But shallow entertainment is all you get out of this completely naive portrayal of totalitarian Britain post-9/11, post-bird flu, post-disintegration of America, post-closure of all underground stations in London. The country is now ruled by a dictator (Hurt) whose only source of power is numbing people with fear of basically everything around them. And for some reason, it seems that the only form of evil government to be found is an exact replica of the Nazi regime. If only the brothers could open their eyes just a little bit, they can see the making of totalitarian governments that abuse people's fears for individual gains all around them.
The movie tells the story of assimilated Evey (Portman) who encounters the masked and courageous V (Weaving) when he rescues her from a fate worse than death. V is actually a "terrorist" who blows things up, among other atrocities, in order to wake the people of Britain from their slumber and remind them that their government is meant to serve them and not the other way round. Evey slowly unlocks the secrets of this mysterious man, uncovering corruption and unspeakable acts that consequently expose her real self.
Although Weaving and Fry (as Dietrich) give charming performances, I am still baffled by the choice of Natalie Portman as Evey. Even if the casting director was forced to put in an American actress in order to boost box office returns, couldn't she at least have picked someone who can speak with a British accent? Anyway the movie is actually fun to watch. Just don't expect anything more out of it.