V for Vendetta

By Kim Tenure

It’s very rare for me to come out of a movie theater these days and not feel cheated in the slightest; this was one of those times. I had been wanting to see V for Vendetta ever since I heard it was suppose to be controversial. I love political controversy and love when you watch a movie and are forced to sit there and think about it. This movie did just that: it challenged the viewer to think. Based on a graphic novel of the same name, V for Vendetta is similar in many ways to 1984, and takes place in a futuristic England. V is a terrorist/freedom fighter (forces the viewer to draw the line) who is challenging the tyrannical and despotic government that has come to power. The plot is divided into two tracks; revenge on the government and a personal vendetta, with V’s ultimate goal being to inspire hope and awaken the citizens from there state of ignorance.

There have been a lot of comparisons to various political leaders, however the actual comic book was written during the Thatcher years in England. The movie served as not a criticism, but as an alarm clock as it demonstrated the power of the individual. I couldn’t help but think of the V as an upside down A, for anarchism, but that’s a personal detail. You can read what you want into this extremely well done movie.

The controversy surrounding this movie was its perceived glorification of terrorism. I would welcome that challenge because it is easily set aside. This movie glorifies free thought, which our contemporary society seems to have lost in political rhetoric. There are some disturbing images of buildings being blown up. However, for the large explosion, V makes the declaration a year in advance so no one will be harmed. The collateral damage is the government not the people.

V for Vendetta is a must see film. Hopefully, it will generate some powerful discussion, and force people to think what freedom is and what the cost of security can sometimes be.

Released by: Warner Brothers 3.17.06
Running Time: 132 min
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and some language
Directed by: James McTeigue

Rating: ****

Starring:
Natalie Portman…Evey
Hugo Weaving…..V/William Rookwood
Stephen Rea ……Finch
Stephen Fry…… Deitrich
John Hurt……. Adam Sutler