Reviews by Matt

Verbose V and his “Vendetta”

By; Matt Levy

As most do when they visit sunny Florida on spring break, I went to a movie. I was able to get my Dad and Grandfather to go see V for Vendetta (couldn’t get Grandma to come.) There are a lot of political issues surrounding this film, but to truly enjoy it, one must put all political affiliations and feelings toward the current state of our government aside, and see it for what it is, a movie. The film, directed by the Wachowski Brothers, takes a look at a future that is dark and one where the people live in fear of their government.

V for Vendetta, based on the graphic novel, is set in a futuristic England. The totalitarian government controls the people and the media that tells the people what to think. While the rest of the world is in chaos, some virus has all but wiped out the United States and many others are in the middle of civil wars, England thrives and is one of the few countries with power. V, played by Hugo Weaving, is the one who opposes the government and their actions. He has plans not to overthrow the government, but show the people the atrocities committed by their elected officials. Evey, played by Natalie Portman, works for what appears to be the one and only television station in England. She is attacked one night by police officers, but is rescued by V. He takes her back to his underground lair where she becomes as wanted as V and gets caught up in his crusade. When she is eventually captured, she refuses to give up the location of V and pays for it with her hair. Even though she was tortured and starved she still refuses. That is all I can say without revealing key plot points.

This movie is very well done, and gave a look at what happens when the ones in power, abuse it. The dark look of the city reflects the oppressive government and the secrets it wants to keep hidden. There are no strange futuristic elements in the movie; it keeps the future looking much like the present. The graphic novel written in 1988, takes place in 1994. The best guess is that the film version takes places in the very near future.

The best acting is done by Weaving, who spent the entire movie behind a Guy Fawkes mask. WARNING: Educational Content to Follow. Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the English Parliament building in the 17^th century. That is where V gets the rhyme “Remember, remember the 5^th of November…” Fawkes had many of the same beliefs that V does; he felt the government was corrupt and needed to change. He was caught before he could go through with the plan.

The very poetical V, (I had no idea how many words began with the letter v) is always quoting Shakespeare, or waxing poetic about the injustices of the government. Of all the actors in the film Weaving had the hardest job, to show emotion from behind a mask is an incredible feat. The actor who played V originally left for reasons that have not been given to the public. I think that Weaving did a better job than anyone could have. The little emotion that V does show comes through the smiling mask and we can hear the emotion in his voice.

While I like Natalie Portman overall and I think she did a good job in this film, I was unimpressed with the performance. I think it was the accent; the British accent is really not the best I have ever heard. Though it was better then Kevin Costner in Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves. Of course that’s not saying much. There are times it seemed forced and distracted from what should have been intense and emotional scenes.

One thing that surprised me was that the action was less then I had expected. The focus was more on the story line then the violence and blood. While there are some great action scenes, what do you expect from the guys that gave us The Matrix, they are not what the film is based upon. Much of the film is guaranteed to spark discussion on the nature of terrorism. Is it necessary when a government abuses its power? Is it wrong to seek change through violence? These are some of the questions that surface when one watches the movie and are the reason this film generated so much buzz.