Heavy Message Movie!

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2006)

My daughter and I viewed this film a few days ago and found it quite enjoyable, although naturally, we don't agree entirely with V's politics and methods. That issue aside, the film really begs all of us to ask ourselves, how many of our rights and freedoms are we willing to surrender in the so-called name of maintaining peace and security?
The film also served as an educational vehicle for us, as not being British, we knew nothing about Guy Fawkes, and were thus motivated to conduct some online research concerning the man and his daring actions some 400 years ago.
One interesting observation we both made, is that in the classic movie "1984", John Hurt plays Winston Smith, a victim of the "Big Brother" totalitarian society of his day. In "V For Vendetta", Hurt takes the exact opposite role, and is in fact "Big Brother" himself -- High Chancellor Stutler.
In similar fashion, in another example of fine acting, Hugo Weaving does a role reversal as well from the earlier "Matrix" trilogy, where he played the cold, villainous, clear-talking Agent Smith, whose job it was to maintain order in the tyrannical cyber-world of the Matrix. In contrast, in "V For Vendetta", Weaving plays the colorful hero of the oppressed, who fights against the dictatorial world of a futuristic Great Britain.
Allow me to leave you with a bit of fun alliteration of my own. It took me about 15 minutes to compose this, and sounds like something that "V" himself may have said...although he really didn't:
"Some individuals invariably view the avenue of violent revolution as vulgar and vain; however, when the vile villains of democracy void the vote and vex the spirit of free men, others valiantly volunteer themselves; vowing to vanquish the evil inventions of such vituperious tyrants."