Special Review
This review is a special request from Patreon supporter Patrick Glauber. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, click the button below. Visit PatreonIn 1988, producer Joel Silver bought the rights to two of Alan Moore’s works, V for Vendetta and Watchmen. After the Silver-produced Road House was a relative success, writer Hilary Henkin worked on an initial draft. In the mid-90s, The Wachowskis, fans of the comic, started working on a script before making The Matrix. After the production of the last two Matrix movies wrapped, The Wachowskis offered James McTeigue the director’s chair. For the role of V, James Purefoy was initially cast but was replaced by Hugo Weaving due to creative differences. McTeigue cast Natalie Portman after meeting her on the set of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Principal photography took place in London and Potsdam from March to June 2005 and was cinematographer Adrian Biddle’s last film. After premiering at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon in December 2005, V for Vendetta opened in US theaters in March 2006.
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Synopsis
In the year 2020, Britain has become the world’s superpower under the rule of Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt). While the rest of the populace has become complacent, one man known only as “V” (Hugo Weaving) opposes them. After rescuing a young woman named Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), he takes her as his apprentice. With Evey’s help, “V” assassinates a group that previously worked at the Larkhill Detention Facility, conducting experiments on prisoners. Under orders from Sutler, Chief Inspector Eric Finch (Stephen Rea) is assigned to investigate and try to apprehend “V.” During his investigation, Inspector Finch learns that the government he serves engineered a virus to help bring them to power. Meanwhile, Evey ends up betraying “V” only to be locked in prison for her association with “V.” Britain will never be the same as November 5th approaches, when “V” executes his final plan.
Review
While most mid-2000s comic book movies were mediocre to below average, V for Vendetta is among the best. Admittedly, there are numerous differences between the film and its source material, which will upset hardcore fans of the book. Despite its considerable differences, the movie captures the book’s spirit and recontextualizes it for modern audiences. The film manages to tackle government repression, totalitarianism, and other sociopolitical issues while also being an entertaining action movie. Speaking of action, James McTeigue creates stylishly fluid sequences that feel like ballet acts as “V” slices through his enemies. Admittedly, there aren’t very many action scenes, but the ones we get are exciting to help advance the story. This comic book movie is more concerned with delivering a compelling story than having many fights. Even if Alan Moore was disappointed with the final result, The Wachowskis did a great job adapting the book.
Hugo Weaving does a phenomenal job as the titular hero, though it’s disappointing what happened with James Purefoy. Natalie Portman delivers one of her best performances as Evey Hammond, a young woman who goes through a dramatic change. We see her go from a reluctant accomplice to being beaten and tortured until emerging as a strong government oppressor. Stephen Rea also goes through a similar change, albeit more subtly, as he digs deeper into what his government did. The rest of the supporting cast, including John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Tim Pigott-Smith, Roger Allam, and Sinéad Cusack, are excellent. At slightly over two hours, parts of the film drag, but the story is compelling enough to keep audiences invested. Even if it’s not the most faithful adaptation, this is still an excellent comic book movie with a thought-provoking story. Overall, V for Vendetta is a modern-day classic of comic book action.
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