V for Vendetta is not the type of movie I would have ever picked to watch on my own. With no promise of making me cry with laughter, and lacking a soundtrack full of hard rock, it’s pretty safe to say that it wasn’t “my” type of film. In fact, it’s likely that I would have never seen V for Vendetta had it not been shown to me in film class. However, I’m very pleased that I did have the opportunity to see it, because it’s a movie that I greatly enjoyed and more importantly, a movie that really made me think, something that is of great value to me.
Released in 2006 and directed by James McTeigue, V for Vendetta is a sort of hybrid between a sci-fi thriller and an action film, with a subtle love story brewing as well. The film takes place in a future, dystopian England, where the oppressed citizens are ruled by the totalitarian government headed by the Hitler-like high chancellor Adam Sutler (played by John Hurt). Having been through many hardships, including a disease epidemic, the people of England seem to be slightly wary of the government, yet unwilling to challenge it. That is, until we meet the eccentric and passionate V, played by Hugo Weaving. He is introduced heroically, when he rescues an ordinary young woman, Evey (played by Natalie Portman) from a couple immoral government officials, who were set to rape her after she was caught out after curfew. The audience quickly learns that V is anything but average, as demonstrated through his whimsical introductory monologue, the Guy Fawkes mask he wears at all times and then his gleeful blowing up of a government building. Although Evey is at first horrified at the seemingly psychotic actions of this insane man, she is rather drawn to him and is always close by as he goes on his mission to destroy England’s government and empower the people in one year.
The performance of the actors in V for Vendetta is really quite remarkable, especially in the case of Hugo Weaving as V. Despite wearing a stiff, plastic, almost comical looking mask throughout the entire film, he displays an extraordinary range of emotions - fury, delight, determination, and tenderness - that all come through clearly from his expressive voice and body language. He is a commanding, uncompromising character that both horrifies and fascinates the audience and those around him. Natalie Portman’s performance as Evey is also definitely worth noting; her dedication and connection to her character was very apparent and added a much-needed emotional connection to the story.
The technical elements add a lot to the film, specifically, in the case of lighting. I found the lighting throughout all the scenes to be very appropriate and effective; for example, when Evey is being kept captive in a jail cell. The cold, grey lighting in her small, dank room serves to give the audience a much deeper understanding and emotional connection to her hopeless and desperate situation. However, another technical element, music, was something I felt could be improved in this film. It’s not that the music was ill-fitting in any way - the soundtrack is appropriate and does enhance certain scenes - but music could have been used in more parts of the film. Since the film has so many intense moments, there is ample opportunity to reinforce the message with music. Music is an extremely important element that serves to make things very clear; it indirectly tells the audience how they should be feeling and allows them to have a stronger connection with the characters’ actions and feelings.
Although I feel that the film lacks in the area of music, the extremely original plot line manages to make up for it. Based off of Alan Moore’s book by the same name, V for Vendetta is not easily comparable to many other movies. Due to the bevy of surprises, intertwined story lines and original characters with depth, I found it to be unpredictable and thought-provoking.
I found V for Vendetta to be a very enjoyable, well-made film, definitely one that I could watch a few more times. It’s the kind of movie that has so many elements waiting to be explored, the type that could give you a fresh perspective or a new epiphany each viewing. It is for this reason that I would definitely recommend this film to anyone looking for a good movie with a high entertainment value and plenty to ponder.
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