What EVERY movie SHOULD be.

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2008)

"Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gun powder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gun powder treason should ever be forgot."
An incredibly fast-paced film with fine performances boosted with a high-rate script and a myriad of special effects emphasized with incredible cinematography... now that's what I call a MOVIE! Matrix creators Larry and Andy Wachowski sends us to their futuristic illusion of Great Britain under a totalitarian regime in this marvelous motion picture which captured the interest of many due to the alacrity of it's script and it's elusive set of characters bolstered by that cunning masked figure hiding behind the letter "V."
By violating the imposed curfew, young Evey (Natalie Portman) gets acquainted with this mysterious vigilante who rescued her from the dirty hands of a group of fascists. V (Hugo Weaving), with his odd congenial nature and his Guy Fawkes mask, subsequently escorts the girl on top of a London tower, where she witnessed the detonation of one of Britain's historical symbols in celebration of November the fifth.
Unsatisfied with this vendetta, V abducts an entire television station, shares an impassioned speech with the whole of Britain, and once again, meets up with Evey, which he took under his care for the meantime, to hide her from the authority. This was followed by a series of murders, the victims all has got something to do with the masked man's tragic past, in order to satisfy his voracity for vengeance. And step by step, he begins to make a change in Great Britain's totalitarian regime, not stopping until he reaches his main target: the great dictator, Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt) I am so captivated by V's dangerous, hard-hitting, and brilliant lines, but lines alone doesn't make up the movie, right? The beauty of the film was further elevated by brilliant performances coming from Natalie Portman and the legendary John Hurt. Hugo Weaving, however, looks like all he's done is a mere voice-over, because he had never shown his face in the film's whole running time, not even for a quick sharp second.
The character, V, was the primary reason why I liked this film. It would be really cool if he was real, playing around with his pointy daggers and concealing himself in the darkness with his fashionable all-black couture. The Guy Fawkes mask is a must-snag, too. My compliments to the costume designer. His clever libertarian thoughts (this is the best of them all, in my opinion: "People should not be afraid of governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.") fills me with inexplicable delight and I'm sure that those who've seen the movie also feels the same way. Relay my compliments to the screenplay writers too (the Wachowski brothers).
Well, as for the picture quality, it is, overall, amazing. The production design looks expensive, special effects were breath-taking, and the cinematography perfectly suits the impressive historical sights of Britain. You might enjoy it's picture quality even more by watching it on DVD.
It's not just for pleasure and entertainment, you can also draw out a lot of ideologies from this film like they're running all over the place. Do the right thing - sit back, relax, and watch this film... and then you'll end up as a bewildered and inspired libertarian.