V For Vendetta:What's wrong with a little destruction?

Yesterday,my whole family decided to celebrate St. Patrick's day by seeing V For Vendetta(less hectic than hitting the bars for some Killian brews to "get your Irish on!")and in a way,it's appropiate to watch this movie on a holiday,since the story's time frame is focused on Guy Fawkes Day. On the fifth of November is when the heroine,Evey(Natalie Portman) encounters the masked revolutionary known only as V(brilliantly played by Hugh Weaving)who rescues her from the curfew cops who want to administer their own brand of justice,gang bang style.

V then treats Evey to a rooftop viewing of his bombing of the Old Bailey buildings,with the 1812 overture playing thru loudspeakers. The man has style,which is probaly one of the reasons Evey keeps crossing paths with him,despite her reluctance to get politically involved. Her folks became activists and wound up being taken by the secret police which explains part of her fear and also her fascination
with V.

The facist forces of the government pursue V with a fury,especially after his televised challenge to the public to rise up from their apathy and get ready for the Parliament buildings to be destoyed on the next Guy Fawkes' day. Many disturbing questions pop up during the hunt for V that particularly plague one of the lead investigators(Stephen Rea) such as why are the former employees of a certain detention center being targeted by V? What does it have to do with the outbreak of a deadly virus that helped put the current administration in power?

Very few movies force you to pay attention and truly make you think;V For Vendetta does that,plus give you a set of compelling characters that are not always sympathic but belivable despite the comic book stylings of the story. The strongest part of the plot is the bond between Evey and V-it's not some "my heart will go on" tale of tragic lovers. Rather,it's a relationship that seesaws thru different modes: mentor/student,friend/enemy and father/daughter.

This movie is already getting alot of buzz but the best way to figure out what it's for or against to see it for yourself and keep your mind wide open. Nevermind the politics,just check it out-it's a brilliant ballet of what it means to truly fight for what you believe in and the aftermath that follows. The only fault I can find with it is that some of the talkiness goes overboard(mainly in the scene where Evey and V first meet) but when's the last time you actually had a hero worth listening to? Alan Moore may not want credit for this film but he doesn't have to hang his head in shame-everyone involved(yes,the Wachowski brothers as well) here did a damn fine job of bringing such a dark yet hopefull world to light.