V for Vendetta (2005)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

James McTeigue

Writers (WGA):

Andy Wachowski (screenplay) &
Larry Wachowski (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 March 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gun powder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gun powder treason should ever be forgot.

Plot:

A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Government | Police | Fight | Freedom

Awards:

3 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Natalie Portman	...	Evey
Hugo Weaving	...	V
Stephen Rea	...	Inspector Finch
Stephen Fry	...	Deitrich
John Hurt	...	Adam Sutler
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Creedy
Rupert Graves	...	Dominic
Roger Allam	...	Lewis Prothero
Ben Miles	...	Dascomb
Sinéad Cusack	...	Delia Surridge
Natasha Wightman	...	Valerie
John Standing	...	Lilliman
Eddie Marsan	...	Etheridge
Clive Ashborn	...	Guy Fawkes
Emma Field-Rayner	...	Guy Fawkes Lover (as Emma Field Rayner)

Also Known As:

V for Vendetta: At the IMAX (UK) (IMAX version)
V for Vendetta: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
V wie Vendetta (Germany)
V de venganza (Argentina) (Colombia) (Panama) [es]
V pour vendetta (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
O za osvetu (Croatia) [hr]
V като Вендета (Bulgaria: Bulgarian title) [bg]
V - V for Vendetta (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
V ako Vendeta (Slovakia) [sk]
V de Vingança (Brazil) [pt]
V de vendetta (Spain) [es]
V för Vendetta (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
V för vendetta (Sweden) [sv]
V for Vendetta (Greece) [el]
V jako Vendeta (Czech Republic) [cs]
V nagu veritasu (Estonia) [et]
V niin kuin verikosto (Finland) [fi]
V per vendetta (Italy) [it]
Ve kao vendeta (Serbia) [sr]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and some language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX prints)

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:18SG | Sweden:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R13 | Argentina:16 | Italy:T | Brazil:16 | Israel:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Japan:PG-12 | Chile:Y7 | Colombia:12 | Greece:K-17 | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | France:U (with warning) | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (theatrical release) (edited version) | USA:R (certificate #42210) | India:A (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

Interestingly, John Hurt played Winston in the film Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) - in this film he was the victim of the totalitarian state (and the original "Big Brother"). In Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), TV screens with Big Brother's face were watching and spying citizens.

Goofs:

Continuity: The files on Percy, Keyes and Rookwood, the three 'black-baggers' who either died or vanished the day after the St. Mary's attack, places the attack in 2014. However, Bishop Lilliman's tax records show the events at Larkhill Camp, which predate the attack, occurred in 2018.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Evey Hammond: [voiceover] Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot... But what of the man? I know his name was Guy Fawkes and I know, in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament...

Movie Connections:

References Per un pugno di dollari (1964)

Soundtrack:

Cry Me a River

Truly Unique

There are some that will, upon seeing this film, say that it was akin to Andrew Lloyd Weber attempting to make a political statement: overly dramatic. These people would be well served to remember that the symbol of drama is a mask, which certainly begs one important question- Why, if you are so put off by an overtly dramatic motion picture, would you choose to see a movie that stars as the (anti)hero a man in a mask? I just saw this film at an advanced screening and I must say it is nothing short of uniquely brilliant. Entertaining from the start, V manages to combine a strong socio-political message in a compact and highly intense experience. Infused with issues and concepts that pervade in the global political climate of our times, this movie is endowed with a tremendous timely relevance that belies its trappings as a mere action adventure.

The acting, the cinematography, the effects, and the general vision of this film all lead me to believe that it will likely receive a cult following. It is only my hope that the message of this film will come to summarize the history of our future ascendancy to true liberty.

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. In the meantime, go see this movie.