Not Since A Clockwork Orange Has A Film Been So Brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2006)

People say American Pie is this generations Porky's. People say that Old School is this generations Animal House. If these are true then V For Vendetta is this generations A Clockwork Orange. By saying that I don't mean that we see people running around in long johns, and Derby hats raping women and beating people to death. It's just going to get that type of cult following. Some people might be turned off by the subliminal Bush bashing message hidden with in the film (After all it got the very attractive Natalie Portman, who is a very political activist to shave her head for the role of Evy) but other people will just enjoy the movie for what it is. Very entertaining. Based on Alan Moore's graphic novel, written about 20 years ago, V For Vendetta takes place in a futuristic London. Now by futuristic I don't mean flying cars and Jetson's type technology. The world of tomorrow in this film looks like the world of today. This London is run by a dictator of a man played by John Hurt. He tells people how they should, and will leave. We then meet Evy (Natalie Portman, Star Wars) who is caught by 'Fingermen" (The government agents of London) because she is out past curfew. When she screams for help because the fingermen are going to have her do them "favors" for not getting in trouble, we then meet our hero V (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix, and Lord Of The Rings Trilogies). Now V isn't like your typical hero. He wears all black, has a pointy pilgrim hat and hides his face behind a mask that reminds me of The Joker. V seems borderline insane and Evy doesn't know exactly what to make of her strange knight in shining armor. Before she knows it, Evy has been dragged into V's one man war against the government. His modo is "People should not be afraid of their government, government's should be afraid of their people. V For Vendetta will not cater to everyone (I did see this film with my wife, who hated it, and my two friends who liked it) but it will become a cult classic in the same vein as Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. People that have read Moore's brilliant graphic novel will love it as most of the film is scene for scene, word for word just like the book. Although Moore hated this film so much he did not want his name in the credits, which makes me wonder why? This was a far better adaptation than his last story come to life The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I admit I was nervous when I heard The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix Trilogy) had wrote this film because while The Matrix was amazing, the follow up's were something to be desired for. Looks like they found what they were missing when they wrote Matrix 2 and 3. V For Vendetta is rated R for violence and language. On a scale of 10 I give V For Vendetta a 10.