V for Vendetta

I am still trying to figure out what to make of "V for Vendetta". This was not at all what I expected. Set in the year 2020, the United States is in civil war as a plague has spread across the country. England has assumed the role of Superpower, and is ruled by a dictator that uses fear to control the populace. With the threat of biological disease and terrorists ever looming, the people have allowed the country's leaders to assume massive powers of control, including control of the media. Anyone considered different or in opposition to this control simply disappear. The only television station broadcasts only what the government wants you to see and hear. With that power, government corruption is rampant.

Within the opening minutes of the film, we are introduced to V (Hugo Weaving), the "hero" or "terrorist" who continually challenges and befuddles the authoritarian oppressors with a variety of violent means. The thing with V is that we never see his face. Instead, he wears a mask showing the face of Guy Fawkes, who in 1605 tried to blow up the houses of Parliament. We get to know more about V through Evey (Natalie Portman), who at first becomes unintentionally involved in his plans but eventually joins the cause. By the end of the story, a majority of the population has done the same.

I'm not going to lie, "V" is difficult to explain. This is more than a good guy vs. dictator movie. One could argue that V is not a good guy at all and uses evil to fight evil. What was truly impressive to me was how the entire story was told. We are given quite a bit of backstory on both Evey and on V. Over time, we come to understand V's motivation. The story is also not dumbed-down by any means. While Natalie Portman's performance is solid, her role is more important for allowing V a method by which to convey emotion. Even with Hugo Weaving wearing a one-expression mask throughout the entire story, he somehow gets you to feel his anger, his pain, and his love for Evey. Plus, with the guys behind "The Matrix" involved here, the effects are pretty cool too.

"V for Vendetta" is one of the better movies to come out in early spring in quite some time. If you're looking for some meaty storytelling with great fight scenes, "V" is for you. I give it a B+.

"V for Vendetta" is rated R with a running time of 132 minutes.