V for Vendetta is a comics based movie written and directed by the Matrix team that does raise very serious (if not severe) issues. The Wachowski brothers (who put to paper and screen the dystopian future world of the Matrix trilogy) wrote David Lloyd and Allan Moore's cult comics for the big screen and their close co-worker James McTeigue made a brilliant debut as director.

V for Vendetta is, as the title suggests, a movie about revenge. And as you will find out while watching it, a movie abut V. V is a caped and masked super-hero-like terrorist. Having trouble relating to that? Consider this: all the terror, crimes and bombings he perpetrates are for his own vendetta. And will eventually lead to freedom for the citizens of a near future Orwellian Britain. The regular movie goer, taught and tamed and conditioned to believe without any second thoughts that terrorists are evil and the government is right finds himself facing a huge dilemma: is sympathy for V, the smooth, educated and ruthless terrorist wrong?







The most paranoid about national and personal safety, the pro-American side of the world and the right wing of politics put down the movie and blame V for Vendetta (and the Wachowski bros) for being just another cash-in on utterly serious issues such as terrorism, governmental "white lies" and media manipulation.

Unfortunately for them the movie can't be easily reduced to trendy fashionable anti-system political mambo-jumbo. Mainly because, despite being written in the early '80s, the story is now more actual than ever. So actual, that the premiere had to be delayed due to the London underground bombings. Something very similar happens in the movie.









Truth be told, the movie is anarchist... anarchy in the UK (as the Sex Pistols once said) and a general perspective that troubles the establishments: rebellion, anarchy and terroristical acts are welcome as long as the government is rotten and rules by force and terror.

"What we need right now is a clear message to the people of this country. This message must be read in every newspaper, heard on every radio, seen on every television... I want EVERYONE to REMEMBER why they NEED us!" SHOUTS Chancellor Sutler and the news bulletins are flooded with news about civil wars, dangerous viruses, terrorist attacks, and international crises. The 2020 London is so much Orwell-like. All media is controlled by the government (and you get to see blood chilling cover ups and biased reports that are so strangely familiar in shape and content to everyone watching tv nowadays) and all the high culture (music, books, paintings and sculptures) is forbidden.





The story of V and his vendetta is complex, bleak and grim: a terrorist wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and a dark cape messes up the nazi-like government of 2020 London, blows up public buildings and breaks into the national television headquarters just to put his statements on air: in one year's time he will blow up the houses of the Parliament and throw down the corrupted and despicable Chancellor and absolute ruler Adam Sutler.


The only person on and by his side is Evey (Natalie Portman) whom he saves from being raped by the law enforcers. As the 365 days pass V commits murder after murder. A police officer (Stephen Rhea) tries to capture the terrorist. But first he must figure out who is behind the Guy Fawkes mask. His investigations gradually reveal the story of a genocidal government that used the threat of anarchy in order to come to power and soon after achieving this started erasing all freedoms and rights in the name of stability and safety. Time to reconsider the Patriot Act, don't you think?





The true horror side of the story focuses on a secret prison (concentration camp for the undesirable: protesters, gays, lesbians, pacifists) where biological weapons are tested on the undesirable citizens and torture is as daily as the misere meal. Hello Guantanamo, hello CIA torturing units, hello super secret detention facilities.

V was one of the few prisoners who escaped as things went wrong and the facility blew up. His former identity, who he was as a civilian, how he looked like are thins never to be known. And his name, the V suddenly develops a second meaning: the roman numeric from his prison cell door (5). The lack of any other identity or personal physical features makes V a true symbol of those oppressed. He is the victim who escaped, the monster society has created, the terrorist created by a terror ruling who is the one to end it all. It's utterly disturbing: the fight terror with terror politics with a twist and back with a clockwork vengeance against those who use it.





Even more unpleasant to the Bush and Blair administration members and supporters is the fact that V is human. Bitter yet with a tremendous sense of humor, a brilliant mind that focuses on personally putting raw ends to the lives of those directly responsible for his tortures and exposure to bio weapons, a cultivated man (the first and the last bombing of the movie are accompanied by The 1812 Overture) who doesn't mind killing the cogs in the wheel from the tv station or police.

His true human feelings come to surface as the relationship with Evey develops. And when she betrays him, V causes her the exact same pain (caused by imprisonment and tortures) he suffered. As a human being one wonders "how could he possibly do this to her?" and the sympathy for the Zorro and Batman terrorist crossover diminishes... until one realizes that Evey needs to experience on her own all the pain and suffering the system inflicts on its subjects in order to know what she should fight and why she must fight.





The necessity of rebellion, anarchism and other things that we come to name "terrorism" is puzzling. The movie's main message is, all in all, right: "People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people," a definition of democracy, given by a terrorist.

And, as last subversive (yet unpleasantly true) idea: fighting terror leads to greater terror. And more terrorists (just check, in case you missed, Steven Spielberg's uncomfortable Munich).





Leaving aside V for Vendetta's disturbing political relevance, the movie's inspiration sources should be mentioned: The Count of Monte-Cristo, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Oldboy, Batman, Zorro, The Phantom of the Opera.

And, yes, "blowing up a building can change the world" but, as Evey fears, the world always changes for the worse.