Mania Grade: B+

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Info:

• Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
• Rated: R
• Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, John Hurt, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinead Cusack, Rupert Graves, Roger Allam
• Writers: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
• Director: James McTeigue
• Distributor: Warner Bros.

V FOR VENDETTA

Hugo Weaving and John Hurt in V FOR VENDETTA (2006).
© Warner Bros. Pictures

So what's so radical about V FOR VENDETTA? Well, it's not just any old totalitarian regime that V (Hugo Weaving) seeks to bring down: it's near-future England, populated by a lot of extremely contemporary types with extremely present-day concerns. The villains are nationalist Christian demagogues who violently persecute Muslims, gays and satirists, among others for conspiracy buffs out there, they also create disasters which they then blame on "terrorism" from without. Feel free to add your own subtext Americans should note that the source material is British and the story is entirely set in Britain, so it's not meant as a comment on anything in the U.S. per se.

Even so, the movie is wholeheartedly on V's side, so it's in the position of endorsing explosions and assassinations as a reasonable method of regime change, which however one feels about it is a novel point of view for a major motion picture with recognizable religions, political issues and physical structures (if one sits all the way through the closing credits, after the detonation of an extremely recognizable piece of British architecture widely seen in the film's trailer, there is a disclaimer that no resemblance to "actual buildings" should be inferred).

However one feels about that let the arguments begin! V is entertaining in its emotional roller-coaster way, with the beauty and the beast elements between V and Evie (Natalie Portman), the spunky production assistant he rescues, gaining momentum as it goes and some excellent butt-kicking martial arts action, courtesy of stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski and V double David Leitch. Stephen Rea, as the sad-eyed detective on V's tail, has a lot of detail and wit, making a compelling impression. Stephen Fry contributes an droll and touching performance as a sketch show host and John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith and Roger Allam are all on target, finding nuances in the steely nastiness of their power figures. Director James McTeigue gets very, very big in places, but because he knows what he's doing, he's generally on the right side of the precarious division between visual grandeur and camp. There's a lot of money on display here, but there's also a statement-on-the-sleeve ethos that will remind viewers either fondly or annoyingly of low-budget '70s science-fiction, when allegory was sometimes bypassed in favor of confronting the "what-if" head-on.

V FOR VENDETTA won't be for everyone. People who loves its message may find its form too blatant; people who enjoy its look and action may dislike its politics; some people may like nothing about it (for what it's worth, this reviewer liked both style and substance). But three cheers for Warner Bros. and the filmmakers all the same, for their boldness in swimming against the current.