Release Date: March 17, 2006 (conventional theaters & IMAX) Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: James McTeigue
Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinead Cusack Genre: Action, Thriller MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence and some language) Official Website: VForVendetta.com
MPAA: Rated R for strong violence and some language. Runtime: 132 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
SYNOPSIS
Remember, remember
The Fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a young working-class woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man known only as “V.”
Profoundly complex, V is at once literary, flamboyant, tender and intellectual, a man dedicated to freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into compliance. He is also bitter, revenge-seeking, lonely and violent, driven by a personal vendetta.
In his quest to free the people of England from the corruption and cruelty that have poisoned their government, V condemns the tyrannical nature of their appointed leaders and invites his fellow citizens to join him in the shadows of Parliament on November the 5th -- Guy Fawkes Day.
On that day in 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in a tunnel beneath Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He and his co-conspirators had engineered the treasonous “Gunpowder Plot” in response to the tyranny of their government under James I. Fawkes and his fellow saboteurs were hanged, drawn and quartered, and their plan to take down their government never came to pass.
In the spirit of that rebellion, in remembrance of that day, V vows to carry out the plot that Fawkes was executed for attempting on November 5th in 1605: he will blow up Parliament.
As Evey uncovers the truth about V’s mysterious past, she also discovers the truth about herself -- and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to ignite a revolution, bringing freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.
What
is it that intrigues me about a masked vigilante who tortures
young girls and ignites national monuments, as if doing so were
just as common as retrieving two-percent milk from the dairy
section of one’s local grocery store? Why is it that, weeks
after my initial viewing of V for Vendetta, I’m still thinking
about the always-smiling anti-hero whose horrific acts are equaled
only by his noble character? — Continued
A
film that challenges and provokes, and above all it is a
film that gets one to think.
However,
it isn’t all deep insights and philosophy either, it has
some fun action and interesting characters that make it quite
simply a fun movie to watch. Whether or not you agree with the
messages this film presents, well, that will be left entirely
to personal preference; but at least you won’t be bored. — Continued
Based
on the brilliantly prescient comic book written almost 20 years
ago by Alan Moore (who has had his name removed from the movie
during one of his famous snits), V for Vendetta seems more
relevant today than it did when he first feared a Thatcher/Reagan
world. As much anarchist manifesto as movie, it takes place during
the regime of a fascist England - “Strength through unity.
Unity through faith.” Symbolized by a double-barred cross
(reminiscent of the broken cross of the Nazi party), the government
has declared martial law. — Continued
So,
see this movie. Remember the idea and remember the person too:
remember Guy Fawkes, remember V, remember Christ . . . but then,
for your and God’s and the world’s sake, do something
about it. — Continued
An
evil government regime twists news and events to create a distorted
version of the real story; it's unfortunate that the Wachowski
brothers have done the same thing with Alan Moore's rich, lustrous
tale. Perhaps someday the man who helped reinvent the comic book
medium several decades ago will have a great movie made from
his groundbreaking work. — Continued
Do
these words describe the Wachowski brothers’ newest movie? While
I don’t necessarily agree that it is any of those things,
I will say that it is a hard movie to sum up in a handful of
syllables. And I will resist the temptation to come up with
some cute play on the title in any attempt to do the same.
— Continued
I
will not post these comments. I
welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs. I will correspond
with you, usually within two weeks.
Email David Bruce
