Film Reviews
By Nathaniel Bell

V Is for Vindictive

Alan Moore and David Lloyd may have made some penetrating observations in their 1989 graphic novel “V for Vendetta,” but this high-profile adaptation of their glorified comic book is a hokey and tedious retread of virtually every Orwellian sci-fi movie ever made. It's the kind of film that perpetuates an unhealthy sense of distrust in the powers that be by hyperbolizing current political concerns and inviting the audience to participate in the ballyhoo.

The hero of the film (Hugo Weaving) is a boring dandy in a grinning harlequin mask that bears the visage of Guy Fawkes, the infamous English revolutionary who once tried to blow up Parliament with King James still inside. Known simply as V, he single-handedly terrorizes a fascist dictator (John Hurt) in a futuristic totalitarian state, confiding in a young citizen (Natalie Portman, struggling with her English accent) whom he rescued from the hands of the secret police. Slowly (and I mean slowly), we discover the origin of this shadowy freedom fighter and the nature of his secret “vendetta.” The climax, which involves more throat-slashings per second than any recent horror film, evens the score once and for all.

Judging by the recent resurgence of subversive “message” films, some viewers will be tempted to read “V for Vendetta” as an indictment of Bush's America (even though the film takes place in Great Britain and has little social resonance beyond the theme of terrorism). Yet the film is so far removed from reality as to render such allusions ludicrous. Hurt's Big Brother-like despot (a bit of casting that seems like an in-joke considering his previous performance as Winston Smith in Michael Radford's “1984”) has more in common with Hitler than with any contemporary political figure, and the peripheral characters (a rancorous news show host, a dissolute priest) are absurdly overdrawn. (Apparently this didn't stop certain audience members from snickering whenever these cartoonish villains revealed their malice.)

Unsurprisingly, the film works best as an unapologetic action film, and under the direction of James McTeigue (working from a screenplay by “Matrix” creators Andy and Larry Wachowski), “V for Vendetta” serves up several exciting set pieces before wheezing to a stop at 132 minutes.

As a democratic nation, one of the most important freedoms we have is the right to question our government. Slightly less important—though no less timely—is the right to question our entertainment. In the case of “V for Vendetta,” I advise moviegoers to exercise the second right.

Send me your opinions at nbell@netlistings.com