V for Vendetta

Directed by James McTeigue

Warner Brothers



The graphic novel, an intellectual nom-de-plume for the comic book, has recently been a cash cow for Hollywood’s big-budget film studios. Blockbusters like “Spiderman,” “X-Men,” and the “Fantastic Four” have merged Hollywood’s A-list with the action-saturated plotlines of childhood fiction.

“V for Vendetta” is a slight exception. The film substitutes the latex-clad Jessica Alba type for an emaciated, bald-headed Natalie Portman ’03 and a childlike plot for what attempts to be an eye opening political satire.

“V for Vendetta,” based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, was adapted for the screen by the notorious Wachowski brothers of “The Matrix” fame. The film is set in an Orwellian future, replete with governmental conspiracies, constant surveillance, and a harsh crackdown on political dissent. Portman compellingly plays Evey Hammond, the film’s protagonist alongside “The Matrix”’s Hugo Weaving as the masked liberator, V.

V and Evey collide by chance on the eve of Guy Fawkes Day (an annual British celebration that few Americans are likely to have heard of before watching the film) and are drawn together by a plan to save England from the clutches of Sutler (John Hurt), a malevolent Hilter-esque Chancellor. The film chronicles the struggles of Evey and V over a full year against the countercurrent of Sutler and his minions who are determined to quash their terrorist plot.

While the film is entertaining throughout with its visually stunning action sequences, its political deftness and plot development leave the viewer slightly nonplussed. Dialogue like, “Blowing up a building can change the world,” is sloppy, and the verbose introduction to the character of V is unnecessary.

Touching on an overabundance of social hot topics such as homosexuality, religious tolerance and fanaticism, and political dissidence, the film spreads itself too thin. The plot draws greatly from “Phantom of the Opera”—including the masked protagonist—however, the film’s love story between Evey and V feels rushed. Following her torture at the hands of V, Evey ends up predictably, but not convincingly, falling in love with her captor. Ironically,it is the semi-poignant vignette of lesbian love that overshadows the romantic bond between the film’s protagonists.

Despite sashaying between political drama and action film, “V” has its moments of humor and subtlety. In one of the opening scenes, V draws attention to the “paradox of asking a masked man who he is.” The repeated use of the jazz standard, “Cry Me a River,” represented an understated metaphor for political subversion that resonated throughout the film as V struggles towards his goal of liberating the English public.

The film’s greatest success is its staggeringly coherent cinematography. Harlequin fireworks, dramatic iconography, and overpowering mob images dominate the silver screen. From beginning to end, the choreography of the explosive sequences succeeds with the same grandeur of the accompanying Tchaikovsky score.

Bottom line: An entertaining movie for action lovers who watched the entirety of “The Matrix Trilogy,” but perhaps not one for the overly-critical philosophy or government concentrator.

—Staff writer Adam P. Schneider can be reached at aschneid@fas.harvard.edu.