V for Vendetta Movie Review

V for Vendetta (2017)

Rent V for Vendetta on Amazon Video // Buy the comic (paid links)
Written by: Lilly Wachowski  & Lana Wachowski (screenplay) as The Wachowskis, David Lloyd (graphic novel art)
Directed by: James McTeigue
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In a future British tyranny a shadowy freedom fighter known only by the alias of "V" plots to overthrow the government with the help of a young woman.

Verdict
There's something captivating about a man willing to sacrifice everything for the idea of freedom. A smart script and stylish action make this a fun movie, but the thoughts it provoke are what make it great.
For a faceless protagonist V is well developed through his alliterative dialog and actions. While he talks about freeing the people, his root interest is revenge. Freedom is a byproduct. His goals are self serving and aren't as noble as they might appear. That's the intrigue.
Watch it.

Review
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian government oppresses all uprisings, orchestrating even the news to depict events in a way that bolster the government. Anyone considered undesirable by the state is abducted in broad daylight.

Hugo Weaving plays V.

This starts with the masked vigilante V saving a woman from corrupt cops. V is verbose and fond of alliteration. On this night he's starting a revolution, though the government calls him a terrorist and tries to cover up V's plot. 

The movie could easily portray V as the decisive hero, willing to sacrifice himself for freedom, but V is out for revenge. Freedom from tyranny is a side effect, though the two are intertwined. We slowly learn about V's detainment at the hands of this oppressive government. Getting revenge on everyone in the detention center and ultimately toppling the government satisfies V's revenge while also freeing the people living under totalitarian rule.

The plotting and pacing is well done. When we first see V, we don't know what he's after. When we learn it's about revenge, that seems a bit shallow until we learn about his past and the state of this country, a fictionalized England. Officials are dirty, including cops, military, religious leaders, and the news. It's through V's plight that we see how far corruption extends.

Natalie Portman plays Evey.

 It's easy to like V as a character. We're accustomed to cheer for characters that want to overthrow an oppressive regime, but V is serving his own interests. V forms a bond with a young woman Evey. While his goals for freeing Evey of fear are noble, his methods are questionable.

There's a lot of subtlety and misdirection in the movie. It's tricky, but it's not an insult. It's intriguing.

V believes in the strength of an idea, and he tends to idealize the idea of freeing the people when his root interest is revenge. This is based on the comic written by Alan Moore, who famously doesn't like adaptations of his work. He criticized the movie for turning his comic into a George W. Bush parable instead of setting it in America. Moore writes complex characters and his imprint is clear in this movie. Similar to Watchmen, the main plot's conclusion is morally ambiguous. In this, V's end result is good for the country, but it's root is V's own self interest. Do the ends justify the means?

Watching this today is concerning. The government creates a reality by controlling the news. With news networks catering to certain demographics and thus giving stories a certain slant, it gives cause for concern.