V for Vendetta is not a movie for the weak of heart. There is violence, action and a lot of questionable morals. The factor that really moves this film though, is the fine line that it makes between who is good and who is evil, and what the words actually mean.
The movie, set in a dystopic society in Britain, follows the story of a girl, Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), whose life was greatly effected by the government regime, under dictator Adam Sutler (John Hurt). Her parents, political activists, were “black bagged” and her brother was killed in a biological warfare attack that was later to be discovered to have been caused by the government itself. This of course isn’t found out until later, following Eric Finch (Stephen Rea), as he discovers just how cruel and flawed his government truly is. His journey also allows the viewer to fill in the pieces of who the “terrorist” V (Hugo Weaving) is, and why he is doing what he is. Now V may not indeed be the terrorist that the government sees him as, nor does he come off as entirely innocent. Victim of a government project gone wrong, V sets out to be the monster that was made out of him, through the multiple murders he commits; some on people who deserve it, but also causing the murders of many who did not. The journey taken by the viewer to come to these realizations.
Portman is shown as putting all of her heart into the film, making huge sacrifices that many other actors would not have made. Her dedication was shown through the shaving of her hair, which obviously had to be done in one take. However, Weaving also did not have the easiest job either. As he was hidden behind a mask for the entirety of the film, it was especially difficult to present emotions that his character was feeling. Weaving did a great job of doing this through the tone of voice that he used as well as his body language. Although Portman and Weaving were certainly the stars of show, that does not diminish the acing of the others at all. Rea does a great job of displaying his character’s confusion, and epiphany into what the society is really alike. Without him, the viewer would not know so much about V and what the government is actually doing. He takes the viewer on his trip, slowly putting the pieces together in order for us to understand what is going on as well. And not to forget John Hurt, who played dictator Adam Sutler so well that you would think he had an actual hatred for V, and the manic, passion-filled, religious fueled belief that so many dictators have.
The film had the perfect amount of action to keep the viewer entertained, but also many touching and quieter scenes to keep the viewer informed and privy to the emotions of the characters. Director James McTeigue does an excellent job in this fine balancing act, and certainly deserves acknowledgement for this difficult task.
In closing, V for Vendetta is a definite recommendation for anyone interested in action, death and revenge. And for those of you who like a happy ending, this is definitely not the movie for you!
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