• Release Date: 2008-05-20
• Genre: Thriller
• Artist Name: Roger Allam, Sinéad Cusack, Stephen Fry, Rupert Graves, John Hurt, Ben Miles, Tim Pigott-Smith, Stephen Rea, Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Eddie Marsan, Natasha Wightman, Billie Cook
• Director: James McTeigue
• AMG Rating:
• MPAA Rating: R
• Category: Feature Films
• Cautions: Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Graphic Violence, Profanity
• Year: 2006
• Running Time: 131
• Movie Country of Origin: USA
• Available Language: English
• Subtitles: Eng/Fre/Spa/FI/Ger/Itali
  

Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate vision of Britain in which a corrupt and abusive totalitarian government has risen to complete power. During a threatening run in with the secret police, an unassuming young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued by a vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving) -- a caped figure both articulate and skilled in combat. V embodies the principles of rebellion from an authoritarian state, donning a mask of vilified would-be terrorist of British history Guy Fawkes and leading a revolution sparked by assassination and destruction. Evey becomes his unlikely ally, newly aware of the cruelty of her own society and her role in it. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

Thriller

Vigilantes, Totalitarian States, Terrorism, Fighting the System, Social Injustice, Future Dystopias

Tense, Forceful, Confrontational, Rousing, Grim, Slick

DVD Features

• Director's notebook: Reimagining a cult classic for the 21st century
• Designing the near future
• Remember, remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder plot
• England prevails: V for Vendetta and the new wave in comics
• Freedom! Forever!: making V for Vendetta
• Saturday Night Live digital short
• Cat power montage
• Theatrical trailer

DVD Chapters

• None Specified

• 2006--Satellite Awards, Sarah Horton-Nominee
• 2006--San Diego Film Critics Association, Owen Paterson-Winner
• 2006--Chicago Film Critics Association, James McTeigue-Nominee
• 2006--Satellite Awards, Dan Glass-Nominee
• 2006--Satellite Awards, Stephan O. Gessler-Nominee
• 2006--Satellite Awards, Sebastian Krawinkel-Nominee
• 2006--Satellite Awards, Owen Paterson-Nominee
• 2006--Satellite Awards, Marco Bittner Rosser-Nominee
• 2006--Art Directors Guild, Owen Paterson-Nominee
• 2006--Costume Guild Awards, Sammy Sheldon-Nominee

Review

V for Vendetta could have easily been a cliché dystopian fantasy set against a stock totalitarian backdrop. It could have also been a heavy-handed warning about the power of fear in the post-9/11 world or, still worse, a wordy treatise on the philosophy of government. In actuality, V for Vendetta manages an almost impossible compromise between these options. Those banking on the Wachowski brothers' trademark balletic action sequences and epic explosions will not be disappointed, while those worried about the brothers' tendency to get lost in their own exposition (a la the Matrix sequels) can have no fear. This movie is fun, enthralling, and thought provoking. Hugo Weaving's meticulous voice acting and deft gesticulations rival the movements of trained dancers as he brings V to life, while Natalie Portman provides a full range of emotion and believable development as we watch her transform from frightened speck within the masses to fully liberated citizen of her own mind. The two find a strong dynamic on which to build their both tangible and symbolic onscreen relationship, and this is the same dynamic that provides the story itself with such a strong backbone. V himself acknowledges that he is a man acting as a symbol, summarized best with V's own exclamation, "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. There is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof." As a result, the symbolic quality of the story itself is not at all difficult for the audience to understand. By the end of the film, legions of masked and caped citizens descending on the houses of Parliament in improbably perfect formation come off not as unrealistic, but as a beautifully stylized illustration. V for Vendetta succeeds where the Matrix sequels failed because despite its disinclination to answer all of the questions it poses, it holds tight to a focused, cohesive theme. This can be attributed to first-time director James McTeigue's ability to place a coherent story at the heart of his philosophizing. There is no simple answer to what role vengeance should play in a revolution, but V for Vendetta leaves to the audience not only the question but the option of whether or not they want to answer it. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi