| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Vendetta's as Sly as a Fawkes
by Eric (movies profile)
Mar 1, 2008
207
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253 people found this review helpful
It's interesting to know that looking back at V For Vendetta, I am reminded of Mary Poppins. For those of you who are still upright or have just now regained your composure, let me explain. Mary Poppins' expirience in getting the medicine down is with a spoonful of sugar. The Warchowski Brothers, as the beacon of this tale, has a lot to say about a lot of things both past and present. The only way they know how to get the message down is with a spoonful of spectacle and flash. With that being said, I loved the medicine more than the sugar.
V For Vendetta is set in the near future in a neo-dystopic vision of London where law has turned perverse, society has turned complacent to the tyranny around them. We meet a young woman named Evie (Natalie Portman) who finds herself breaking curfew when she runs into a couple of lawmen who intend to rape her. She is saved by a strange man in a Guy Fawkes mask (Guy Fawkes being a man who tried to blow up Parliment in the 1500s, and of which November 5th is a reminder of what he tried to do) who calls himself V (Hugo Weaving). V is not a self-deluted egomaniac trying to make a name for himself. He's a determined, fascinating, rougish character who takes Evie to a rooftop to watch a demonstration of his intent to wake up the people to take control of the government. He does so with a sight-and-sound extravaganza as he blows up the Bailey courthouses around London. The next day, the spin-doctors try to discredit V's actions by taking the credit for the actions. V's response is probably one of the most inventive ways to get someone's attention.
The rest of the film follows 366 days in which he makes a promise to the people of London that he will do what the real Guy Fawkes wasn't able to do. Between that time, he'll take care of the personal paybacks, leading a dogged police officer (Stephen Rea) behind him to put the pieces back together. Evie becomes V's project as he tried to get her to see beyond her fears. But can one man start a revolution? He can if he makes the people believe he's more than just one man, that he's an idea (Obviously he's been reading his Batman comic books) that even a government can't break.
The story behind the film is from a graphic novel by Alan Moore (From Hell), re-envisioned by The Warchowskis to talk about more than even the original author had probably even considered to think about. The film doesn't want to be clear on the difference on freedom-fighting and terrorism, but wants you contemplate both and find the difference for yourself. It also wants to talk about facism that starts off with Nazi Germany images, but dives into spin-doctoring, war-mongering, and the pacification of the masses using fear (images that post 9/11 America knows all too well). What's even more amazing is that the film is actively aware that the past and present are all connected, that art and history are more bound to each other than we might expect. The film shows revolution not so much that a man leading the masses, but offering them the choice to come along. With the police officer, we see a man who had bought into the idea that the Supreme Chancellor (played by none other than John Hurt, who knows a little about Big Brother himself), and finds what lies behind the curtain in Oz (if I keep this up, I'm so going to be sued).
My only problem with this tale concerns V. True, he's a fascinating character that I don't feel is either a hero nor antihero. He's more the physical form of an idea than a man. But his final choices in the film feel a little off. What does he expect is going to happen after the fifth of November. Here lies the paradox. If he didn't think about it, then he's negligent to those who he's trying to free. If he has, then he's leaving them to fall into the same hole they dug themselves into. Ideas can only go so far before someone perverts them to their will.
What I'm proud of when it comes to the acting in this film isn't so much the serious tones the film creates, but the lighthearted ones with simple jokes that ease the tension before diving into deeper ideas. Portman and Weaving create a real dynamic in this film that is clearly visible and incredibly challenging, considering that Weaving is completely masked most of the time. Weaving deserves most of the credit not only due to this amazing feat, but also because he brings out The Warchowski's words with almost Shakespeare precision. He makes monologues turn into performances, making his perception more romantic than probably would be if the original actor casted were in his place. I love how they talk about these ideas with both a weight of responsibility, but also a tickle of humor. Another great performance comes from Stephen Fry as Evie's boss and eventual confidant.
James McTeague's direction isn't entirely breathtaking, some even get a little hokey. But when he gets inspired, he gets inspired. A great scene for him involves the officer piecing together what is about to happen as we see the event occur. The action scenes are passable, but not breathtaking. Besides, when you have intregue like this film does, action just seems like a roadblock.
All in all, will this be a blockbuster success? If it does, I'll be impressed. This movie is more interested in talking about it afterwards than it is in filling you with popcorn. I hope people do talk about it. Maybe even ask the hard questions and shake off some of that apathy that allows for the events that we are seeing. The line between fiction and non has always been a little blurred. V just might make you taste the medicine. |
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