"Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the Gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder treason ever should be forgot."
Controversy has surrounded V for Vendetta and not just because of its content. The source material was a black and white comic series first published between 1982 and 1985 by Warrior, a British anthology comic. Vendetta went unfinished in its initial run, but was later reprinted and finished in color by DC Comics. With David Lloyd doing the art, writer Alan Moore created a totalitarian future that acted as a rallying cry against the conservative administration of Margaret Thatcher. Moore, a groundbreaking creator who has pushed the boundaries of what can be done in the comic medium, has wanted little to do with this or any other Hollywood adaptation of his work. And who could blame him? His Jack the Ripper opus, From Hell, was diluted, while The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was dumbed down into a ridiculous mess.
Producer Joel Silver erroneously claimed that Moore gave his endorsement to the film. When Moore's demand for a retraction fell on deaf ears, he ordered his name be removed from the credits and pulled any future projects he had on tap at DC (owned by Warner). Next, the original lead actor, James Purefoy, dropped out during production for undisclosed reasons. To top it all off, the original release date was Nov. 5, 2005, to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes Day. It was pushed back supposedly to allow more time for post-production work, with speculation that the recent London bombings may have had a little to do with it.
Set in the year 2020, war and disease have allowed a fascist regime to assume control of the British government. Minorities, homosexuals, and political dissidents have long been rounded up and exterminated in concentration camps. John Hurt channels Hitler as the maniacal Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt), who runs the show like one, forceful body. His Gestapo are known as the Finger, constantly on the pulse of the public. The Eye and the Ear are always watching and listening, while the Mouth spews Sutler's spin doctored propaganda.
And who will stand up for the meek and oppressed? A mysterious masked man with a flair for the theatrical who goes by the nom de plume V (Hugo Weaving). He lives in an underground bunker (dubbed The Shadow Gallery), surrounded by outlawed literature, art, and a jukebox of jazz music. His mask assumes the visage of Guy Fawkes, a Catholic extremist who attempted to blow up Parliament in 1605. Throw in a pageboy wig, enhanced strength & reflexes, a bunch of knives, with a touch of Errol Flynn and the Phantom of the Opera, and you have yourself a lean, mean freedom fighting machine.
We meet V through the eyes of Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) as she is picked up by Fingermen for breaking curfew. V indoctrinates Evey into his world with a little Tchaikovsky and a whole lot of explosives and fireworks. V begins picking off Sutler's underlings one by one, all the while preaching chaos and revolution. His motto: "People shouldn't be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." V's tragic past is unveiled as a police detective named Finch (Stephen Rea) investigates both V and his own superiors.
Having been adapted and produced by the Wachowski Brothers, one wonders if the film would have the emotional depth of the original comic or would it be filled with the metaphysical mumbo jumbo that plagued the "Matrix" sequels. The result lies somewhere in between. Characters tend to wax philosophical on numerous occasions, but never with the overbearing pomposity found in Matrix Reloaded or Matrix Revolutions.
While the comic was made in the 80's, set in 1997, and was a parable for the conservative British government of the time, the film has been updated to reflect current politics in a not-so-subtle fashion. Nuclear arms give way to biological warfare. A "war in America" is said to have spilled across the Atlantic and into England. The public must keep a watch against potential terrorists. The forceful allusions tend to distract from the goings-on. The Wachowskis seem to forget that the message should come from the story and not the other way around.
Does the film lend itself to further discussion? Not particularly. There's never a question of whether V is a terrorist or a freedom fighter. He fights to topple an obviously evil power. The real question comes in a moment that occurs early in the film. Hijacking the television signal, V puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people. Who voted these people into office in the first place? Is it not our fault for giving up a little freedom in order to sleep a bit easier at night? We barely get a chance to digest this little morsel, before we jump into the next scene.
There's a lot going on in V for Vendetta and just not enough time to delve deeper. There's V, his mission, and his backstory. You've got Evey and her backstory, Finch's investigations, and the government's attempts to maintain order. Before we can get into one scene, we're pulled away into the next. A lot of exposition and detours off the main path cause the middle of the film to slow to a crawl. Luckily, it picks up in time for the third act.
No one ever accused the Wachowskis of being visually bland. Here is where the film excels. While they took a step back this time, their influence can be seen in director James McTigue, a former second unit director for The Matrix. Incidentally, the Wachowskis do the second unit work for Vendetta. A stunning action sequence sees V dispatching a group of secret police in slow motion. Even a scene of toppling dominoes is engrossing.
Weaving, the former Agent Smith, took on the daunting role of V in mid-production. Using only his voice and body language, Weaving does his best to inject life into the slightly off-kilter V. But, the story truly belongs to Evey Hammond. Portman got plenty of attention for shaving her head for a sequence where she is imprisoned and tortured. It's the most powerful and memorable segment from the comic and it remains nearly intact for the film. It almost makes you forget her stilted accent.
V for Vendetta isn't quite the action-packed extravaganza you might expect from the makers of The Matrix. Yet, it doesn't get bogged down by the self-indulgent discourse of those same makers. This is the kind of film that usually kicks off the summer blockbuster season. It's popcorn filmmaking for those who don't mind a little style over substance.
Rating: ***
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