Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.
As a child Guy Fawkes Night is a fun filled evening full of warm food, fireworks, and bonfires. But as an adult it serves as a reminder to fight for civil liberties in the face of corrupt governments.
Adapted from the Alan Moore graphic novel in 2003, V for Vendetta has become a staple of the season, and worrying has become increasingly relevant in the past few years. So, what better way to celebrate November 5th than with a review of that exact film.
Following a deadly biological terrorist attack, Great Britain is under the totalitarian rule of Norsefire, a regime led by High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) who controls the populace through propaganda, a militaristic police force, and heightened surveillance. When Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued by a masked vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving), she is labelled as an accomplice to his terrorist crimes and goes underground. As V systematically kills off the Norsefire elites, Evey and the British public become increasingly aware of the ways in which they have been manipulated and kept subservient to their government. Meanwhile Chief Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea) is hot on their heels and finds himself questioning his loyalty to the government he serves.
As a child Guy Fawkes Night is a fun filled evening full of warm food, fireworks, and bonfires. But as an adult it serves as a reminder to fight for civil liberties in the face of corrupt governments.
Adapted from the Alan Moore graphic novel in 2003, V for Vendetta has become a staple of the season, and worrying has become increasingly relevant in the past few years. So, what better way to celebrate November 5th than with a review of that exact film.
Following a deadly biological terrorist attack, Great Britain is under the totalitarian rule of Norsefire, a regime led by High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) who controls the populace through propaganda, a militaristic police force, and heightened surveillance. When Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued by a masked vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving), she is labelled as an accomplice to his terrorist crimes and goes underground. As V systematically kills off the Norsefire elites, Evey and the British public become increasingly aware of the ways in which they have been manipulated and kept subservient to their government. Meanwhile Chief Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea) is hot on their heels and finds himself questioning his loyalty to the government he serves.
I remember watching V for Vendetta shortly after release, when I was far too young to actually understand what on Earth was going on, and I wasn’t a big fan of it. But it’s a film that in recent years I’ve looked at with a desire to go back and give it another go; and I’m really glad I finally have.
I think now in particular is a really interesting time to revisit V for Vendetta (or watch for the first time) because the current global political climate is so unstable, and particularly in the UK we do have a serious problem with our current government frequently being found out to have lied to the public and are constantly implementing new ways to keep us silent and compliant. But I am no political activist, I’m an amateur critic. So, I won’t drone on about the current state of this country, but I would say that it makes now a particularly good time to be covering V for vendetta because it’s incredibly topical.
I can understand why this film had a lukewarm reception when it released in 2006 because when you look at the trailer it really focuses on the action sequences and plays up the involvement of The Wachowski’s when Warner Bros was still riding high off the back of The Matrix trilogy. The reality is that V for Vendetta is a slow burn political thriller, and whilst there are action sequences and they are really great, they aren’t the focus of the film and they don’t come around very often.
V isn’t even in the film as much as you’d think based off what the trailer shows you. This is Evey’s story of transformation as she goes from this blissfully ignorant member of the public to a full-blown freedom fighter over the course of the film.
In fact, that’s what makes the story of V for Vendetta so appealing and meaningful. The characters have really great arcs that land each of them in a totally different place at the end of the film to where they were at the start. Some people change their minds about things, others just move further along the same line of thought, but whatever the case almost every character with an actual character fundamentally grows over the course of the film.
I think now in particular is a really interesting time to revisit V for Vendetta (or watch for the first time) because the current global political climate is so unstable, and particularly in the UK we do have a serious problem with our current government frequently being found out to have lied to the public and are constantly implementing new ways to keep us silent and compliant. But I am no political activist, I’m an amateur critic. So, I won’t drone on about the current state of this country, but I would say that it makes now a particularly good time to be covering V for vendetta because it’s incredibly topical.
I can understand why this film had a lukewarm reception when it released in 2006 because when you look at the trailer it really focuses on the action sequences and plays up the involvement of The Wachowski’s when Warner Bros was still riding high off the back of The Matrix trilogy. The reality is that V for Vendetta is a slow burn political thriller, and whilst there are action sequences and they are really great, they aren’t the focus of the film and they don’t come around very often.
V isn’t even in the film as much as you’d think based off what the trailer shows you. This is Evey’s story of transformation as she goes from this blissfully ignorant member of the public to a full-blown freedom fighter over the course of the film.
In fact, that’s what makes the story of V for Vendetta so appealing and meaningful. The characters have really great arcs that land each of them in a totally different place at the end of the film to where they were at the start. Some people change their minds about things, others just move further along the same line of thought, but whatever the case almost every character with an actual character fundamentally grows over the course of the film.
The performances are fantastic too. Weaving steals the show as V, and he manages to do so much considering how restrictive his costume is. We never see his face because he’s wearing a mask, and he wears a long black cloak for most of the film meaning both his face and his body are largely shrouded. The way he delivers his lines, and the way he moves through a space give him so much purpose and you can read a whole lot into the character because of these things.
Portman is generally quite strong, but she does struggle with a semi-cockney English accent. Some of the time she sounds Australian, and there are a few times where the American seeps through, plus the whole cockney thing sounds weird when none of the actually English cast sound like that.
Hurt does a phenomenal job considering he is relegated to close ups of his face almost the entire film as his presence is felt almost exclusively through large screens. He feels intimidating and dangerous, and that really goes a long way in selling the nastiness of Norsefire.
Rea underplays the role magnificently. The seeds of his doubt are planted in his very first line simply by what his eyes are doing, and from here he grows it expertly, keeping things minimal so that the character doesn’t become suspect but gradually waking up to the realities of the regime he is enabling.
If I had one complaint its that the pacing felt a little slow to me. The film clocks in at two hours and twenty minutes but it felt closer to three. I think there are ways that the dialogue could have been made slightly snappier to alleviate this as there aren’t really any scenes I would say need to be taken out.
I think it’s only a good thing that following my viewing of V for Vendetta I felt as though I had been given a new lease of life, that I was angrier about the injustices the people face at the hands of the government in real life. Am I going to be blowing up Parliament any time soon? Highly unlikely, I’m far too clumsy for that. But I think V for Vendetta is something people should pay attention to now more than ever. No matter your political alignment, V for Vendetta speaks volumes about governments taking the people for granted, and how fragile the system can be when people defy it.
Portman is generally quite strong, but she does struggle with a semi-cockney English accent. Some of the time she sounds Australian, and there are a few times where the American seeps through, plus the whole cockney thing sounds weird when none of the actually English cast sound like that.
Hurt does a phenomenal job considering he is relegated to close ups of his face almost the entire film as his presence is felt almost exclusively through large screens. He feels intimidating and dangerous, and that really goes a long way in selling the nastiness of Norsefire.
Rea underplays the role magnificently. The seeds of his doubt are planted in his very first line simply by what his eyes are doing, and from here he grows it expertly, keeping things minimal so that the character doesn’t become suspect but gradually waking up to the realities of the regime he is enabling.
If I had one complaint its that the pacing felt a little slow to me. The film clocks in at two hours and twenty minutes but it felt closer to three. I think there are ways that the dialogue could have been made slightly snappier to alleviate this as there aren’t really any scenes I would say need to be taken out.
I think it’s only a good thing that following my viewing of V for Vendetta I felt as though I had been given a new lease of life, that I was angrier about the injustices the people face at the hands of the government in real life. Am I going to be blowing up Parliament any time soon? Highly unlikely, I’m far too clumsy for that. But I think V for Vendetta is something people should pay attention to now more than ever. No matter your political alignment, V for Vendetta speaks volumes about governments taking the people for granted, and how fragile the system can be when people defy it.