V for Vendetta (2005)
“No. What you have are bullets. The hope that once your guns are empty I’m no longer standing. Because if I am, you’ll all be dead before you’ve reloaded.” – V.
V for Vendetta (2005)
Directed by: James McTeigue
Written by: The Wachowskis (screenplay), Alan Moore (graphic novel)
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, John Hurt, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry
How have I not seen this before! Genuinely ashamed of myself – this was fantastic.
Coming off one of the biggest action movies of all time - The Matrix - the Wachoskis went on to adapt the screenplay for the British Graphic novel, V for Vendetta. Which is funny, because I didn’t do any research before watching this, and my main note was: “copying The Matrix”. Hell, the director James McTeigue was the assistant director for The Matrix franchise. The parallels are pretty hard to avoid.
A masked vigilante, V (Weaving), takes on a young apprentice as he battles an oppressive regime in dystopian England.
Before I get into the specifics, it’s also worth mentioning that the content in this movie hits a bit different in 2021. Why? The reason they’re living in a dystopian society is due to the outbreak of a virus, which led to a restructure of the power structure and totalitarian rule. People are constantly monitored and are confined to strict curfews. Sound familiar?
Anyway, let’s dive into the Matrix comparisons. The most obvious parallel is the slow motion action sequences. Once The Matrix unveiled ‘bullet time’ in 1999, this plagued Hollywood as EVERYONE tried to copy it for the next ten years. Every single director thought that the only way to construct a fight scene was to slowwwwwww everythinggggggggggg downnnnnnnnnn. Commonly this led to a product that was disjointed and ridiculously CGI. They do it again here, but guess what? It’s the Wachowskis, and they started that shit, so it looks great. There also isn’t an overwhelming amount of action in this film, so you don’t get fatigued as a viewer.
The other comparison is the story. V is basically the Morpheus character who reveals to Natalie Portman’s Evey that she is living a lie in an increasingly corrupt society. Civilians are being fed propaganda by a controlling government; similar to Neo being fed a lie within the matrix. Both explore the concepts of power structures and how information is used to manipulate and control the masses. V for Vendetta ensures that you’re not going to miss this, with the imagery of the new government, their symbolism, and their explosive ‘chancellor’ all harking back to Nazi Germany.
Outside of the unavoidable symmetry, this is a very entertaining stand-alone thriller. There’s a mystery that connects V to the head governmental figures, and both Evey and a police inspector slowly uncover his mysterious past. The way in which this information is communicated can get a bit disorienting for the viewer, with McTeigue using a combination of flashbacks, exposition, and heavy dialogue. Despite this being a bit confusing, I still found myself feeling invested in the story. This was partly due to some impressive acting, but also because the script allowed you to connect with the main characters. There’s a lot of character development for an action film, and oddly enough it doesn’t make out the general public as being mindless idiots. Several scenes show them being discerning enough to realise that they are being fed manicured propaganda, and as such you can empathise with the struggles they are going through.
Portman is fantastic once again, Hugo Weaving brings his iconic voice to the title role, and I also enjoyed the performance of Stephen Rea as the chief detective.
I can’t find too many faults with this movie. It’s essentially a low budget cross between Batman and The Matrix, with a masked vigilante inspiring the public to rise up against oppression, but complex philosophical subject matter. If you’re going into it expecting a pure “action movie” you’ll be disappointed, as the plot doesn’t lead to fast paced thrills, but it’s a well-crafted, well-acted package any intellectual action thriller lovers should enjoy.
Rating: 8/10
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