An interesting piece of fiction with nonfiction overtones

Rating: 9/10 (27 August 2006)

The funny thing about this film is that many misguided and uneducated people will see this as a slap against the Bush Administration and its handling of the war on terror and in Iraq (evidenced by the actual news clip segments and commentary which includes "America" in it). The creators of this film may have made suggestions pointing to that conclusion, be they unintentional or intentional (and I suspect they were intentional). Nothing could be further from the real truth. There are two points here. One, this is a revenge flick, Hence the title, V for Vendetta. And two, if there is any slap to be delivered here, it is against tyranny and dictators, such as Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Tito, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Castro, Saddam, Ida Amin, Pinochet, Kim Jong II and countless other rulers who have cruelty exploited and brutally suppressed the masses in order to assume a totalitarian rule over a country (which also includes many of the Kings of England, France, and Russia). The themes of love, friendship, honor, justice, truth, devotion, and patriotism take a backseat. You may call them window-dressing, I would call them by-products. I felt it was my obligation to stress this isn't a political film and I would not be detoured from viewing it just because someone could make an argument that it is.