V for Vendetta

A-

I enjoyed this movie version of a graphic novel about a terrorist fighting for liberty against an oppressive government. It watches a little like Batman meets 1984 and is therefore able to make broad political statements with a simplified pantone color palette that a more serious movie could never get away with. Natalie Portman has to carry a lot of weight since the main star is hidden behind an unmoving mask. Like Neo of The Matrix (also written by the Wachowski brothers), she is a normal person who gets caught up in an underworld of subversion. She is Alice falling down a rabbit hole. She is us.

The first half of the movie is kind of straightforward, but very entertaining, as V reveals himself, his power, and his plan to the audience and a very frustrated government. John Hurt is perfect as the Big Brother despot, appearing larger than life on TV screens to bark out orders, and amid crowds and waving red flags in a beautful but chilling shout out to Adolph Hitler. Stephen Rea is good as the neutral Chief Inspector whose future is compromised by his thirst for the truth. The movie wanders a little with a side story involving Portman before returning to a satisfying conclusion. These are all classic story elements so some of it may seem tired. But I thought they brought it all together in new way with relevance to current events. I'll give this an A-, subtracting only a little for Portman's side trip which seemed kind of tacked on.

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