A voyage of action and romance set in a futuristic background of fantasy

Rating: 9/10 (17 March 2006)

"V for Vendetta" is a swashbuckling tale in the stead of Zorro (who, as V would say, wears a mask through no coincidence) and "The Three Musketeers". This isn't a group of fairy tale scriptwriters, though, as the Wachowski brothers bring their unique talents to the table -- which, impressive as they are, still have a few faults along the way.
The movie opens with our protagonist, Evey (Natalie Portman) in narrative form, voicing the words, "Remember, remember, the 5th of November." The ominous poem continues, and it doesn't take long before we are swept into the embrace of a tale from a desperate act in a distant past. We then fast-forward to the near-future England, where the populace has tight restrictions on available freedoms, and the news media is a mere pawn of a government that's obviously a little too satisfied with how much power it wields. Through a tedious situation, Evey meets V(Hugo Weaving), a man who knows how to use not only daggers, but is a master of charisma as well. His introduction to the audience is thusly two-fold: A swift, superb action sequence followed by an assault of alliteration. It is a combo that appeals to the warriors, poets, and warrior-poets in us all, and lays the foundation for a highly likable character punctuated all the more by the fact that he seems a cross-dresser between the Phantom from "The Phantom of the Opera", the Ghost-killer from "Scream", and perhaps a little bit of the creepy Burger King "King" all wrapped into one.
While his wardrobe may be quirky and slightly alluring, his character is quickly expressed as a deadly serious one. If the eloquence of his speech isn't enough to draw the audience to him, his passion and unswerving idealism will most likely do the trick. Weaving does a magnificent job of bringing the man behind the mask to life, giving him a full range of human emotions, all while behind the grinning visage of V's mask. While many movies may strive to offer up just one or two poignant moments, often failing, Weaving commands a full ensemble of them solely by his ability to portray a man who's both larger than life and yet has moments of indecision and even self-doubt. This is a movie enriched by good acting, but it is V's show, after all, and he steals it in grandiose fashion.
Weaving's performance isn't an enigma here, either. Playing Evey, Portman also crafts a multi-faceted persona, with deep layers of personality and ambition. Watching the journey her character makes through the picture evokes a myriad of emotions from the spectators. From the opening scene fraught with fear and a loss of control, to the breakthrough she makes a few moments before the climax, whereby she undergoes transformations we can not only perceive by her body language and inflection, but by a certain shaving off her hair as well. Portman expertly shifts the elements of her milieu, and the result is a stark, grounded effort that manages to avoid being tawdry, even in the climactic moments of the film. Stephen Rea plays a solid, if unspectacular role in detective Finch, a good cop caught in a situation of questioning one's own allegiances, while Stephen Fry makes a great contribution as a late-night talk-show host. Fry is extremely likable in this role, serving as the comedy relief. But even his character is not limited to this capacity, and stakes his ideals against those of Adam Sutler (John Hurt), the totalitarian dictator who's mouth you'll be used to staring at by the end of the film. Hurt supplies his role succinctly, and while being limited to a few scenes, doesn't seem overacted or out of place.
We can assume this movie might have been fine without the Wachowski brothers. It could still have many great sequences and a thought-sparking plot, sprinkled with emotion and brimming with potential. Under the direction of the Wachowski brothers, this movie soars with fight scenes are as memorable and incredibly entertaining as they are different from the Matrix. Yes, the same background tale is here, a corrupted group of individuals who have total control on everything, and a few people trying to fight the machine and save humanity, but "Vendetta" has more than enough merit to be considered a triumph, rather than feeling like a rehashed tale. The plot is fresh and delicious, revolving around a -potential- love story between our hero and heroine, the overarching calamity of human suffering and death, and mixed in with moments both funny and inspiring. Sadly, the brothers also club the plot over the head at times with predictability, though a few instances are totally surprising. The classic orchestral soundtrack, composed by Owen Paterson, is explosive and exquisite and serves to heighten the tension as well as the sense of grandeur in all the right moments.
"Vendetta" does weave a deft plot though, with extremely strong characters that seem to border on the edge of the fantastic. It is the style, the bravado, of "Vendetta" that creates a sense of wonder in those who choose to experience it. While a plot of fantasy may seem out of place in the near future, it blends extremely well here, giving a visual beauty to the film with a rich sense of purpose and theme. This movie conveys an astute self-awareness and attention to detail that sets it apart from the special effects ridden chaos that is today's Hollywood landscape. Even the effects seem to be torn from a page of V's heart, even as sparsely used as they are. This movie is one huge cohesive effort, and while it feels a bit too chimerical in places, it explodes (literally) with success in others.
Vendetta does what many movies try to do -- entertain the audience while simultaneously impressing upon them a sense of importance, and accomplishes this act very well.