Natalie Portman makes her second appearance on my blog in what is my favourite of her films, V For Vendetta. A tense, gripping, thought-provoking, action-packed thriller that features some of my favourite speeches, characters and fight scenes in movie history. Seriously, I love this movie; let's find out why.
Based on the Moore and Lloyd comics of the same name, V For Vendetta was released in 2006 under the direction of James McTeigue, in his directorial debut, with screenplay courtesy of the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy). The film follows our main characters V (A beautifully versatile Hugo Weaving) and Evey Hammond (An Anglo-accented Natalie Portman) over the space of a year in futuristic, dystopian London city. It features themes such as dictatorship, oppression, totalitarianism, insurrection and unification. The amalgamation of these elements gives birth to one of the most entertaining movies of the noughties.
The movie begins with a short segment on Guy Fawkes and his attempts to blow up Parliament in 1605. We then cut to 20-30 years in the future where we find London under the control of the iron-fisted and oppressive Norsefire government, who have established curfews, all-seeing cameras, phone monitoring, and a constant screening of TV propaganda, turning the city into one reminiscent of Orwell's '1984'. Here we meet Evey, a working class girl who, like most of the population, lives each and every day in fear of what will happen if she ever steps out of line.
One night she unintentionally violates curfew and is confronted by the secret police, or 'Fingermen'. Fortunately, she is saved by a cloak and mask wearing individual who identifies himself as V. He then takes her up onto a rooftop, allowing her to witness his quite literally 'orchestrated' destruction of the Old Bailey. To prevent a public stir, the government claims that the destruction was both planned and necessary. Unfortunately for them, V breaks into the TV station and broadcasts his own message, revealing not only his role in the annihilation of the Baileys, but also his intention to destroy the Houses of Parliament the following year.
In response, the government brands V a traitor and a terrorist, and the High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt at his most badass) announces that he wants him apprehended so he can cause no further acts of rebellion. But V is far from finished, for he systematically eliminates important party members who were instrumental in a series of events that led him to becoming the person he is today, and also uses rather unconventional methods to help Evey conquer her fears and become a stronger person.
I don't remember the last time I saw a film that left such an impact on me. However you interpret the film and the themes it portrays, you can't deny their relevance or their power. A life devoid of free will is something that I believe many people would fear more than anything else, and here that stark reality is brought to life through the direction, settings and interactions between our characters. We see every aspect of peoples lives being not only monitored, but also manipulated, creating an unsettling atmosphere in which our heroes can fight for their liberation.
I adore so many things about this film, but probably my favourite of all is the character of V, our articulate, charismatic hero. His ideas are great, his motivation understandable, and his dialogue is witty, profound, and often sends a shiver up my spine. And last but not least, the fight scenes he gives us are among the coolest and most visually impressive I've ever seen. I've probably left a lot of things out but trust me, if I was going to detail all the reasons why this I love this film, it would takes hours to read, so I'll end by saying that it's one of my favourite movies, and it always will be.
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