V for Vendetta (2005)

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From the rubble

Good movie, but terribly confused. It's too talky and political for an action flick, and some of the action -- especially the ridiculous knife-contrail sequence -- loses it credibility as a serious work. It fails as an adaptation by throwing out the original's intended meaning: Moore's criticisms of the limply-gesturing politics can't be denied. And its relentless specificity makes it less generally applicable as a political statement.

To my mind, it's most interesting as the successor to the Matrix, or at least the unsatisfactory hints at Baudrillard therein (e.g., Neo's hollowed-out copy of Simulacra and Simulation). Sutler appears only as an image on a screen even to his closest subordinates; V is even worse, a masked man with no memory, apparently trained as killer -- and avenger -- by re-runs of Robert Donat in The Count of Monte Cristo. One hollow image conquering another hollow image, torturing Evey in a false interrogation (a prison no less real for its falseness), etc. Fascinating stuff.

Definitely worth seeing.

- Sam - 2006-04-16 05:38:55