Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #831 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 133 minutes

Synopsis
From DC comics and the Wachowski Brothers (THE MATRIX) comes this tale of revolution in an England of the future, one that has become fearful and fascist; anyone different, from homosexuals to free thinking artists are black bagged and subjected to torture and inhumane medical experiments. Hugo Weaving stars as V, the mysterious masked avenger who carries knives, has lightning reflexes, lots of explosives, and intentions to blow up Parliament. He's also on a vendetta against the evil powermongers who made him the lonely monster he is. Innocent waif Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) is saved by V and winds up hiding out in his nifty secret lair, which is filled with forbidden books, art and a jukebox that plays Cat Power and Julie London's 'Cry Me a River'. Meanwhile there's a hangdog police inspector (Stephen Rea) picking up their trail, and a plethora of evil British government types regularly bullied into action by the intensely odious Grand Chancellor (John Hurt). Director James McTiegue keeps all these events unfolding at a hypnotically rhythmic pace, like the burning of a long, unstoppable fuse. Some may balk at the film's seemingly pro-explosive, pro-terrorist stance, but to look deeper is to realise the film merely provides a funhouse mirror of our actual messed up world, something that is true of all the best science fiction. V certainly fits that category, especially with Natalie Portman in the lead, as lovely and riveting an actress as a beleaguered nation could ever hope for.

Customer Reviews

Unpleasant, but not in a good way
I enjoy the sub-genre of apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, or dystoptian future fiction, so seeing this V for Vendetta was a no-brainer for me.

Unfortunately, the things I found distasteful about this movie outweighed any of the positive aspects that other viewers have mentioned (e.g. cautionary tale, visuals, etc.).

The comparisons to Orwell's 1984 are appropriate, but Orwell's motives were far more interesting: a committed socialist who warns of a state in which even his own ideals are misused to abuse the population. The same book coming from a committed fascist would not have seemed so sincere.

Portman's Evey is tortured by someone who believes he is teaching her a lesson and seeks her submission and service. Imagine being abducted and tortured by someone who later revealed that it was for your own good and it was only a ruse to convince you of their rightness. Literature that deals with this behavior is usually concerned with sociopaths and killers. Psychologists tell us that some victims of abduction and abuse can indeed demonstrate a loyalty to their abuser.

I doubt that extolling a torturer was the intention of the film-makers, so for me their otherwise good intentions were seriously marred by what is on screen.

The cardboard cutout stereotype of the perverted religious figure was hackneyed a long time ago. I guess the best I can say of that image is that I am thankful that we still live in a tolerant society where such stereotyping is permitted, even if it is obvious and sophomoric.

On a lesser point, I felt that Portman's performance was bland and unconvincing, and I think it wasn't necessary in such an international near-future to have her try to approximate an English accent. I found the accent distracting.

This one is worth a rental, or loan from the public library.

A naive waste of talent and resources
I'm sure that there is a good film to be made on the heroic struggle of a lone hero inspiring a mass revolt against a fascist regime in a near-future Britain but this definitely isn't it. A feedom fighting character based on Guy Fawkes is, even for a graphic novel, a complete slap in the face of history. Fawkes was a mercenary explosives expert who was hired by Catesby and his Catholic terrorist confederates to murder the Protestant King and Government. Had Fawkes succeeded, the Catholic administration would not have introduced sweeping reforms to human rights and freedoms, quite the contrary. If you centre the script on an historical character, albeit one that inspires the major protagonist, at least do your research. Had the film not used the Guy Fawkes motif, it would at least have got to first base but would have remained very much in the shadow of 1984 and Edge of Darkness.

This is happening today people - WAKE UP!!!!
A tremendous film for the times we live in today. Although it is set in the future the parallels to the propagandised society in which we live today are clear for those who are paying attention.

Real-life Iraq footage is used in the film to convey to the people that they are at war against an unseen enemy and the government will supposedly protect them. - at the same time the government develops biological weapons to use on its own population - backed up by all the bigbrother- cctv- surveilance techniques that are been enforced upon our society today.

The deep meaning behind this film cannot and should not be ignored. If we all stand up against the lies and fearmongering, our very numbers can create the change that needs to happen if humanity is to survive.

Don't believe me? watch it and see..... you'll be shouting BS at evert TV news broadcast too!!!