V for Vendetta film review (grade 11 ENG)

Turn out your pockets for the old guy – V for Vendetta is veritably vindictive

By Diana Hall

“Artists use lies to tell the truth”. It is for this reason that the futuristic and political thriller V for Vendetta provokes quite the controversy not only among the characters within its story, but amid viewers at home as well. Cinematography is, after all, a form of art, and thus begs a question; what truth lies within the artistic production of the compelling 2005 film? It is this enthralling provocation that lingers over audience members as they watch the masterpiece of accompanying music and James McTeigue’s directing compliment the gracefully powerful acting of Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman as V and Evey Hammond.

Set in a futuristic, totalitarian Great Britain, there are a few primary locations that allow for intriguing plot and character development. This includes the mysterious home of V and the memory of the Larkhill Detention Center. After Evey saves V’s life, she wakes up in his secluded and extravagant home: floors are covered proudly in red carpet, and stone walls provide a sense of grandeur along with the vast array of valuable, stolen props and pieces of art.

It is in this inviting and mysterious atmosphere that Evey evolves into an unlikely ally in V’s mission to bring justice back to Britain. It is also in this atmosphere that Evey and V begin a surprising and uncertain friendship, a relationship that changes Evey’s life forever and provides V with a freedom and love he has long forgotten.

Viewers are taken into the memory of V as they are thrust into a world of torture and injustice at the Larkhill Detention Centre, the prison that held V captive for so many years for government benefit and human experimentation. V’s experience in Larkhill serves as the reason for V’s outrage and his plans for revenge against Britain. The white walls, bright lights and seemingly sterile facilities offer the illusion of a medical centre, as the structured, secretive penitentiary is overlooked by the eyes of the law. The centre represents the hopelessness, fear and sadness that V endured in his past life, and is clearly recognized by the audience.

Before V, Evey Hammond worked for a government sanctioned television station. However, once she witnessed the demolition of the Old Bailey, Evey was forever changed. An attractively slim and tall woman with dark blonde curly hair and warm, knowing brown eyes, Evey was forced to face injustice in her own life. V’s vision brought with it painful memories of her parents’ imprisonment. The struggle that Evey faces, however, does not revolve around her past; it is rather the recognition of good and evil, and the shades of grey that lie in between, unnoticed. Actress Natalie Portman delivers a passionately riveting performance as she portrays the development of a curious and torn Evey. Despite the difficulty of truly understanding Evey’s mood and reason due to repetitive facial expressions, this sense of lost desperation also fit the character’s changes quite well. Portman’s soft and yet eloquent speech accompany an accent that rarely falters, and her emotions on-screen provide a realistic, captivating and powerful presence.

V, played by Hugo Weaving, is a man of mystery, known only to Evey by the Roman numeral that marked his cell number at the detention center. The mask he wears, however, does not disguise V, but rather presents his true character – the character frighteningly similar to Guy Fawkes, the man whose gunpowder plot to destroy the Parliament buildings failed in 1606. Throughout the film, V is not seen without his smiling, rosy-cheeked Guy Fawkes mask or his elegant black cloak and gloves. Weaving’s swift, strong and purposeful movements perfectly portray the insightful and driven character of V, whose only form of expression has been limited to his voice and his actions. It is for this reason that the deep, eloquent and intellectual voice of V is so riveting. What lacked a bit in V’s character was that change he felt when he met Evey, and later when he told her that he fell in love with her. There is no emotion, no true expression or variation in V’s speech and it is for this reason that a connection with V is so difficult to make by viewers.

The main themes of control and authority, injustice, persecution and the fight for freedom provide the idyllic opportunity to introduce controversial and dangerous subjects such as terrorism, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and homosexuality. As is demonstrated in the futuristic society depicted in V for Vendetta, the control and authority that the government and secretive corporations have over society has corrupted its people. The “Finger-Men” patrol the streets, enforcing their rules and breaking others, as they monitor and contemplate the proceedings in society. The “Finger-Men”, a dangerous, government organized corporation, represent the overlooked and misguided control that has dictated the lives of Great Britain’s people. This immense level of power and authority has greatly diminished the freedom of others.

Injustice is primarily introduced to the viewer through learning of V’s past life in the detention center. Viewers learn about V’s torture, the deaths of Evey’s parents and the troubled life of a woman known to Evey as Valerie. Each of these occurrences were brought on by the government; people were forced to become scientific guinea pigs and most lost their lives in the process; acceptance of those who were deemed “different”, such as Valerie and her female partner, was not only absent but also not tolerated. It was for these reasons that V decided to fight for the rights of Britain’s people.

V for Vendetta’s main conflict is realized by the audience as Evey Hammond struggles to gain a perspective of what is right and what is wrong. She watches, at first reluctantly and in shock, while V takes over the city himself. The primary conflict within the film lies with the victims of V’s vengeful and planned murders of well-known and respected people in the city. He continues to thrust the city into chaos and blood. As viewers follow the story of V, they begin to learn the reason behind V’s actions as well as the internal battle that Evey struggles to overcome. It is for this reason that the fate of the Parliament buildings lingered in minds of the audience throughout the film, as viewers were forced to reflect upon their own perspectives of right and wrong just like the innocent civilians in Britain.

The mesmerizing climax ends the tale quite brilliantly, accompanied by a frightening and familiar Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and fireworks in the late night skies. This scene generates a sense of awe and disbelief from the audience, as well as a strange and unlikely sense of acceptance. While the music in the demolition scenes provokes a mood of dread, horror and captivation with its upbeat melody of mainly brass and percussion, the music in other scenes is also of a classical, instrumental style. The use of crescendos is especially important in V for Vendetta, as they are used to emphasize major events in the plot and to give viewers a hint about what is soon to greet them on-screen. This choice of music is very effective for quite a few reasons, one of the most important and clever being that V’s mission in Britain had to do with the past. His mission revolved around the wrong doings of the past that have led to the disguised corruption of society today. It seems, therefore, only fitting that the accompanying music also be a homage to great and classical music of the past that has not, like the torture V endured, been swept under the rug.

There were three types of camera shots that greatly added to the personal and frightening mood of the film, one of which was a headsheet. This chin-up shot was reserved mostly for Chancellor Adam Sutler, who appeared only on a large television screen until near the end of the film. This shot was perfect for generating a sense of Sutler’s power, and, therefore, fear of it as well. The most memorable confrontation between the Chancellor and his council took place during his last remaining hours, when he shouted frantically, “I want everyone to remember why they need us!” This was the last time he appeared on the television screen, his power and control over society quickly diminishing. A medium shot was used most memorably to emphasize the demolition of the Old Bailey; this shot was meant to give viewers the vision seen by London that fateful night, a full vision of the destruction and a whole sense of determination and truth. An extraordinarily awe-inspiring camera angle was used at the end of the film, as row upon row of London civilians took off their Guy Fawkes masks to stare in wonder at the terrifying sight before their eyes, the camera moved swiftly through the crowd using a high angle shot, looking down at upturned, open-mouthed faces.

Two recurring symbols within V for Vendetta are extremely important to the personal and historical aspects of the film. The first, of course, is the letter V, otherwise recognized as the Roman numeral for the number 5 that had marked V’s cell door. The letter V reinforced the idea of justice, and rebellion against such brutal and unrighteous power. It stood as a monument of the past, a will to remember not only the fifth of November, but of the terrible crimes against Great Britain that have been so unceremoniously ignored.

Another important symbol that flashed on-screen at every given opportunity was an engraved red cross, the sign of the “Finger-Men” and their so-called government. This, of course, makes reference to the battle between Catholics and Protestants in the time of Guy Fawkes, and the battle for power under these separate churches. Much like the on-going struggle and injustice in the world in Fawkes’ time, torture and betrayals were still happening, reminiscent of the torture and murders in the combat for religious power.

V for Vendetta is a powerful film, whose controversial ideas and events in the plot established a dark and strong foundation for the movie. Its legacy is simply the idea of right and wrong, of good versus evil and fighting back for freedom. The main strengths of the film were engaging the audience in a thought-provoking and brain-activating thriller while audience members developed connections with the main characters of V and Evey. The quality of acting by the entire cast was astounding and believable, as viewers of the film were forced to “Remember, remember the fifth of November…” just as V willed the citizens of London to do. One weakness of the film was that the slow development and change in Evey’s character made it difficult for audience members to adapt to and follow the fast-paced and vocally detailed scenes. The character of Mr. Creedy was also not nearly as developed as it could have been. Although hints were dropped a few times throughout the film, not much was understood about him. His final confrontation with V failed to enlighten audiences about his drive and character. However, this film is a must-see for those to enjoy a more complex plot line and diving for deeper meaning and hidden messages. The few weaknesses of V for Vendetta are but minute blemishes that merely make the film what it is meant to be – an imperfect, intriguing and veracious tale of V’s vendetta.