Movie Review - V for Vendetta

Universal Remote

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a movie as much as I enjoyed V for Vendetta. V offered something I haven't seen in a movie in a long time. It offered characters with opinions, with points of view that were not clearly right and not clearly wrong. V is a freedom fighter, a terrorist, a murderer, a hero, a villain. He fights what he believes is evil. His motivations are not completely pure certainly his tactics are not. He believes in a better government, true democracy, sure, but it helps that he was personally victimized by the current government. He spends 20 years seeking vengeance, planning for the ultimate victory, what that victory is, is a little ambiguous, delightfully so.

V for Vendetta can be seen as a parallel for modern times. It is absolutely not surprising that many see today's climate in the U.S. on the screen. But, the graphic novel from which the movie is adapted was an indictment of the Thatcher era in England. (In fact, author Alan Moore has disavowed the film although it seems mostly the result of a dispute with DC Comics.) Indeed, the film, despite its parallels to today, is really more of a story about what modern day totalitarianism would look like and how it would be implemented today. In effect, the England of V for Vendetta represents what would happen if Joseph Goebbels had Fox News.

Power is exercised through fear. If you speak out, you will be black bagged and taken away. If you keep quiet, you are subjected to endless announcements of dangers that will befall you if you leave the safe zone. The television is mostly fear mongering -- reports of chemical attacks, disasters, dangerous immigrants. The government mantra is "Strength through Unity - Unity through Faith" - Faith in God, Faith in Country, Faith in the Leadership.

V is the sole voice in face of the madness. His words are pure. They are refreshing for those watching are have become too cynical, too jaded, who forget why it matters. But his actions are not quite Ivory soap. Do the ends justify the means? It is the unanswered question and I suppose, as it often does, it depends on what the end is. Here the end is destruction. Thanks to the wonder of trailers, the physical what probably isn't all that surprising. But there is more to it than that. There is a subtext about the whats and whys, about V's true motivations and what he would sacrifice to get what he really wants that is compelling. And, of course, the final destruction is accompanied by a rebirth, in a scene that is one of the most moving I've seen in while.

V for Vendetta should offer something for everyone, a dystopian vision of what could happen if questions are not asked and answers are not demanded. The silence of fear is the most dangerous weapon. I guess I'm not surprised people see present-day parallels. The rational response would be to eliminate those parallels, to focus us all on our ideals. Not surprisingly -- and most ironically -- I'm sure many will simply try to blame and silence the messenger. Perhaps then it is best to remember a refrain from the film: "Artists use lies to tell the truth. Politicians use lies to cover it up."