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Comic book hero comes of age
V FOR VENDETTA
Directed by James McTeigue
Certificate 15
ALAN Moore is credited with taking the comic book, which had
previously been the preserve of geeky teenagers, into the realm
of serious literature.
V For Vendetta was written in the mid-1980s, and is born out
of the fears that society, in terms of a world where humans
live together and try to rub along nicely, no longer exists.
The fear of nuclear conflict also heavily influenced Moore’s
work and this sets the dark scenes that make up the film version
of V for Vendetta.
Britain has dissolved in to an orgy of violent civil unrest.
A Fascist state, headed by Alan Sutler (John Hurt), the leader
of Norsefire, a 1984-style Big Brother party, has enslaved the
country. The concentration
camp is central to the plot. A shady rebel character –
V – emerges from one with indefinable powers, intent on
revenge for his terrible treatment.
Dressed as Guy Fawkes, he speeds through London committing acts
of terror.
This is Moore’s brilliance: the viewer is left to decide
whether he is a terrorist himself or a freedom fighter. He can
seem cruel – but he is fighting a cruel regime.
Natalie Portman plays Evey, a girl V (Hugo Weaving) rescues
from the clutches of the police who are about to rape her.
The Guy Fawkes analogy starts here. V has just attacked the
now-defunct House of Parliament (it is November 5).
He carries Evey off to his hideout where she recounts her history
– the coup which brought Norsefire into power was responsible
for locking her father up.
Moore’s story is in great hands. The Wachowski Brothers
gave the screen play some bite. They have trodden this path
before, working on The Matrix, which has similarities to this
film.
But the fact it is rooted in Britain makes this film all the
darker and all the stranger.
With the current state of affairs with ‘a global war on
terror’ this film raises issues that make uncomfortable
viewing: ID cards, 90-day detention without charges and Guantanamo
Bay. It is all in here under another guise.
Director James McTeigue has created a glorious piece of theatre.
Sir Ian McKellen once remade Richard the Third as a modernist
nightmare in a Fascist Britain.
That is the vibe that emanates from V For Vendetta. |
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