In the not-too-distant future, the main character in V For Vendetta struggles through a daily life that includes: a Big Brother-type political leader who restricts civil rights under the guise of it being for the greater good; uses fear to control the citizenry; manipulates information and news through media outlets that, in reality, serve as an extension of the government; and interacting with a police force that uses brutality and torture as typical methods for enforcing social order.
Wait, my mistake...That isn't V For Vendetta. That was a slightly-exaggerated description of my life these days. Last week, and last month. And for the last several years.
But, I've digressed. Forgive me for venturing into the uncomfortable--and previously banned, here--political arena. My Meditation and Yoga class was cancelled this morning.
V For Vendetta stars Natalie Portman as Evey, a young reporter whose chance encounter with V (played by Hugo Weaving) changes drastically the direction of her life. Entangled with V during a year in which he works to overthrow the totalitarian government that exists in London, Evey's perspective about life and politics evolves. Watching it evolve is sort of like recognizing new ideas in your children; it is emotionally rewarding, and poignant.
My favorite part of the film was how Hugo Weaving (you will remember him as Agent Smith in the Matrix films) uses his voice, mannerisms and body language to create a three-dimensional, complex character. V is masked, so achieving this must have been incredibly difficult. But he was successful.
V For Vendetta reminded me a little too much of present-day circumstances. And because of that, I viewed it as a cautionary tale. A very good cautionary tale, that I recommend highly.
3 comments:
Um...dude...that was HUGO Weaving...you know Elrond the half-elven and Lord of Rivendell?
I agree with your sentiment about this film. It was dark but also insightful and the pacing and development of the characters was very well done. The first guy who was cast to play "V" ended up walking off the set when he was too frustrated about having his face covered all the time (in fact there are still some scenes that use the first guy in the final cut). Hugo Weaving is a tremendous actor and his ability to emote without relying upon facial expression is even more evident here than it was when he was playing the unflappable Agent Smith of "The Matrix."
Great flick! Great review! A must see!
Damn...thanks. I corrected it. I originally mistakenly called him Victor Hugo, then caught that and changed the wrong part of his name.
I'm a moroon. :)
Haha...that's the secret behind the mask! "V" is Jean Valjean!
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