Remember, Remember, the fifth of November….
Well, I stand guilty of bad-mouthing the Wachowskis after their attempts at insulting the movie-goer’s intelligence with the Matrix sequels (for me, mentally the original stands isolated from the sequels). And I will not indulge in a shouting-match with the die-hards who have formulated their own theory about the wonders of the Matrix Universe. But now, would I love to shake the hands of the Wachowskis & James McTeigue for this courageous endeavour. Not only have the Wachowskis bankrolled this project, but also have penned the screenplay based on the comic book by Alan Moore. And I am sure the studios must not have been thrilled with whole idea of a terrorist anti-hero as a central figure, going by the poor publicity alloted for the film. It takes mucho cojones to stand behind such a solid effort.
The plot: Set in the none too distant future, the world lays wasted, and the only stable government is that of Britain (that more or less resembles the Nazi regime with little bits borrowed from the setup in Equilibrium). Enter the eloquent and revolutionary V, who stages a series of anarchic events, that rattles the stiff upper lips. A fascinatingly complex character, V recites poetry with aplomb, is handy with swords & daggers (makes Zorro look tired), and has a secret agenda all of his own. Always behind a Guy Fawkes mask, he is brought to life with an amazing insight by the dependable Hugo Weaving, who uses his body language and vocal modulations to convey V’s mercurial personality and emotions. Natalie Portman plays a telly reporter who becomes a reluctant ally to V, and Stephen Rea plays a weary copper hot on V’s trails. The film has been shot in dark tones, except when the sequences shift to V’s lair, where they burst into vibrant colours. The action pieces, though not as frequent as I would’ve preferred are well executed, with a special nod to the balletic climax sequence. The film is littered with capable performances, right from Weaving, Portman down to the briefly appearing Stephen Fry.
It is sad that a gem that comes our way much too rarely, is not appreciated enough.

Running Time: 131 mins.
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and some language.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry
Directed by: James McTeigue