Sporting a mask with a rather long nose meant to impersonate a terrorist centuries before, it can seem difficult to take the title character of V for Vendetta seriously. I have found that anytime a character wears a silly mask, especially one with no moveable mouth, the only way to overlook this is with a slick voice. This is where Hugo Weaving shines. The layers of tonal contempt he manages to express for V make for the best voice-over of the year. To my astonishment, what I figured to be the film’s biggest problem isn’t one at all; leave that for the persistent political and social commentary.
With a setting in which England is the world’s only superpower, V for Vendetta takes us across the pond to find a world of oppression. All those not conforming to the likes of the evil conservative party, have been gathered up to become guinea pigs. Something goes wrong and our “hero” V is born. V is a man who is intriguing mostly because his backstory is the story of how he doesn’t have a backstory. All he knows is that he is the only good in a drab England controlled by power hungry conservatives. There is only room for right and wrong in director James McTeigue’s (2nd unit 2nd assistant director of Street Fighter) vision.
We are treated to some explosive feats and unique fights. For example, in an attempt to distance himself from the enemies, who use firearms, V wields a series of knives. He is a character that is eccentric in this manner, all his possessions are classical and even his weapons defy the progressive movement of technology. McTeigue crafts in V for Vendetta, props that tie film noir elements to a world on the verge of the apocalypse. This obviously is a trait he picked up when helping with The Matrix.
The innate problem with V is that we see an irresponsible terrorist promoted to George Washington status. I say irresponsible because unlike Washington, he skips a few steps. V for Vendetta doesn’t workout a contingency plan to feed the hungry; instead it forces working citizens into complete chaos. V is a character fueled by rage, and ultimately his strike is to stop those who affected him, and not so much to help anyone else.
(Spoilers ahead, sorry)
All good heroes need a sidekick and this is where Evey (Natalie Portman) comes into play. At first a female in distress, Evey is rescued by V and later is taken fully under his wing. To do this she trades in her locks for a buzz cut which is reveled to be the world’s most impressive practical joke. It is during this scene that we are given a dose of social commentary. Her torture seems a parallel for training a suicide bomber. She is lead to believe in the ideals of V; that gay marriage is a right in a black and white world of good v. evil. In a world of gray colors everywhere, our heroes can only assume themselves to be smarter than everyone else.
With her full conversion he is now ready to strike down his oppressors by blowing up Parliament. Of course, some stand in his way; as witnessed by a ridiculous knife v. gun standoff. Dying on the train that blew up the building, V never had to consider the possible anarchy his dream would bring, and sadly neither does our director. Surely those thousands in the streets would start a riot and someone would gain an upper hand and become the new dictator, ala Hitler. This possibility remains because a sound conclusion is not presented. Funny, with all the political commentary, you’d figure the filmmakers would care for the people of their world. **½
Loading ...
Recent Comments