V FOR VENDETTA (2006) ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
D: James McTeigue
Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea,
John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Rupert Graves,
Sinead Cusack, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Marsan
Sympathy for the devil, or at least for the terrorist in the Guy Fawkes mask. A subversive, futuristic thriller set in a totalitarian society where an acquiescent population has traded freedom for the illusion of security, the government rules through secrecy and fear, and owning a copy of the Koran is punishable by death. Based on Alan Moore's graphic novel, it's a lot less concerned with blowing stuff up than with making you think. It blows stuff up, too, of course, at the beginning and the end, while daring to suggest that there might be more to terrorism than mindless evil, and that certain governments may, in fact, have it coming to them. Hugo Weaving plays V, the man behind the mask. Natalie Portman plays a television production assistant who becomes his protégée, protector, soulmate and confidante. Stephen Rea plays the police inspector who uncovers more than the government wants him to know as he tries to track V down. John Hurt, in a stark reversal from his role in "1984", plays Big Brother. The music threatens to overpower the dialogue at times, but the message comes through loud and clear. A great movie to keep on hand for those times when you feel like blowing up a building yourself. Watch for the references to "A Fistful of Dollars" and "The Grapes of Wrath". Penny for the Guy?
