Exciting, resonant, all of the good stuff

Rating: 8/10 (9 March 2016)

It's been a long time since I read the Alan Moore source comic, so I couldn't tell you how well "V for Vendetta" is as an adaptation. But it does make for a great movie.
Herein, you can find references to '1984' and 'Fahrenheit 451', not to mention a clarion call for chaos in the name of liberty - all under the umbrella of fascism (a potent theme, and one that makes anarchy fashionable). But it's also fairly moving story, which says a lot for a Wachowski action movie. Also, can I just say that it makes knives way cooler than guns? And it's not just the blood sprays and the explosions that give the movie power, but the spoken words themselves.
And speaking of dialogue, Hugo Weaving is the movie's winning asset. Give the guy credit for conveying emotion under an inexpressive mask, but more than that, the sonorous tones of his voice make the vaudevillian word play extremely appealing. He uses it to profound effect. The whole cast is great, but he was a novel choice for V.
8/10