A Must-See, Regardless Of Your Political Beliefs

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2006)

The Joe Cool Review: V for Vendetta(2006)
Starring: Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond, Hugo Weaving as V, Stephen Rea as Finch and John Hurt as Adam Sutler
Plot: In a future where America is destroyed and England is the top power, it is run by a totalitarian government, with freedoms taken away and people of different religions, political beliefs and sexual preferences persecuted. A lone man codenamed V uses terrorist tactics to convince the people of England there needs to be a change.
Openers: I had heard many good things about this, but also some bad ones. I myself was torn because it was from the creators of the Matrix, but I thought it may be too political for my liking. I am happy to say that V for Vendetta eliminated my worries and was everything I was hoping it would be. It's an action film with messages about freedom and how corrupt governments are bad. Well that's basically the gist anyway. Some people say this movie defames our own US government and some say it glorifies terrorism. I disagree, but I'm not going to get into a political debate as this is a movie review.
The Good: The movie tells a very well-crafted story. It shows you how the futuristic government is corrupt, everything from controlling the media to banning controversial works of art, music and literature. Everything and everyone that the leader of the government doesn't like is either banned or black-bagged(arrested). If you don't like it, you're arrested. If you break curfew, you're arrested. In fact there are images here that remind me of the Third Reich(when Sutler is campaigning his troops outside of Parliament in flashback sequences) and the Holocaust. That just shows you what kind of government you are dealing with here. The two main characters and back story for why this all came to be is fleshed out and I couldn't see any real plot holes. Natalie Portman did well, as did the supporting cast, but my main focus is on Hugo Weaving, who plays V. You might remember him as Agent Smith. For someone that can't show facial emotions because of the fact he is always behind a mask, Weaving still manages to emote with body language and the tone of his voice. That takes some talent. He flowed through his scenes with ease and made you care for his character. Portman again did very well, although she did have some trouble keeping up the British accent. Also, the fight scenes are really well-done(considering who directed this it's no surprise) and there is plenty of bloodshed. And, I won't give it away but the final sequence is a sight to behold.
The Bad: This movie is not perfect, however. While the story is solid it does not flesh out some of the minor characters as well as I would have liked. The villains are just that, corrupt government officials. I at least would have liked more back story on Sutler. Also, this movie has a flaw in that regardless of whether or not you agree with it's political motivations, it does tend to get a bit preachy. It doesn't fail to hammer the message and by the time the movie reaches it's climax you're thinking, "Okay, I get it. Corrupt governments are bad." The movie can have a message, but it shouldn't try to force people to accept it. I would also have appreciated some sort of epilogue, but I can understand why it wasn't included.
The Ugly: A guy falls right on his head and neck in a spot that made me cringe. Also scar tissue from being burnt is never nice to look at. I won't say who but it was pretty nasty. Nothing else of note for this category.
Final Verdict: V for Vendetta was an enjoyable two hours and certainly a movie I'd pay to see again. Who would think an action movie could be so politically motivated and blend them both well? This one pulls it off. Highly recommended.
Rating: ****1/2 of *****