"Remember, remember the fifth of November."

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2007)

"V for Vendetta" recalls elements of George Orwell's novel "1984". This film likewise shows a dystopian Britain under a stringent totalitarian government and shares some other themes such as a concern for past events. However, there is one key difference between "1984" and this film, "V". In "1984" there was no force to challenge the primacy of the totalitarian government, but in this film V is a mysterious anti-government terrorist figure that inspires resistance.
The story follows Evey, played by Natalie Portman, as she slowly makes the acquaintance of V. I have never been overly impressed by Natalie Portman's acting, but she gives a decent though not outstanding performance in this film. However, the rest of the cast is excellent. V's mask wearing character is one part action hero and one part over-the-top stagy actor, sometimes delivering rapid-fire dialogue. It makes for an effective combination and Hugo Weaving handles it well. John Hurt is well-cast as the leader of the totalitarian government in a reversal of his role as the repressed Winston Smith in the 1984 film of "1984". There are also excellent performances from Stephen Rea and Stephen Fry.
This film's primary strength is its intriguing story developed around exploring repression and propaganda from the totalitarian government, opposition to the government and the mysteries concerning the enigmatic V. Like in many films showing dystopia, the setting is appropriately mostly dingy and gloomy. Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" was used great effect to accompany some of V's anti-government activities. Some will be averse to the way the film mixes overtly dramatic elements such as V's acting and the displays accompanied by the "1812 Overture" with dystopia, but for me the film managed to make the combination effective and interesting.