On DVD release day: SF Gate "V for Vendetta" review

In 'Vendetta,' disastrous U.S. and British policymaking gives rise to terrorism -- what a shocker

Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Senior Movie Writer


V for Vendetta: Drama. Starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and John Hurt. Directed by James McTeigue. R. 130 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)
Trooping out of "V for Vendetta'' to the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man,'' a fitting accompaniment to the final credits, you may be overcome by a sudden urge to storm the Bastille. This is inflammatory filmmaking with the burners turned up high. Don't go in expecting "Matrix 4'' because the trilogy's creators, Andy and Larry Wachowski, are being heavily promoted as the writers and producers. Their new effort is far more in the subversive tradition of "The Battle of Algiers'' and "A Clockwork Orange.''

"V for Vendetta'' would be worth seeing just as an anomaly, a big-budget Hollywood release that could be interpreted as sticking it to the American and British governments by showing the catastrophic fates these countries meet in the not-too-distant future, precipitated by disastrous policymaking. But "Vendetta'' is also richly satisfying entertainment the way movies are at their best, when they prod you to think.

Making his first feature, James McTeigue, the Wachowski brothers' longtime assistant director, finds a tone and pacing that are appropriate to bring a portentous comic book to the screen. He takes it seriously without pretending that it's Shakespeare. British graphic novelist Alan Moore wrote it in the 1980s as a harsh criticism of the political right. That the story has such resonance today indicates that Moore (who has disowned the movie) was on to something.

The opening scene offers a quick lesson in English history. London in the 17th century is re-created to show infamous saboteur Guy Fawkes foiled in his attempt to blow up Parliament, an act for which he is hanged in front of a mob of thousands. They're almost certainly computer generated, but the special effects aren't obvious. The film is almost old-fashioned in relying on solid storytelling instead of trickery to engage the audience.

Flash forward, way forward, to London in 2020 or so. A totalitarian regime has taken control, terrorizing citizens and routinely lying to them via a government-controlled TV station. It's unclear whether the news readers are telling the truth when they dryly report that the former United States is in a state of chaos brought on by a civil war.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/reviews/movies/VFORVENDETTA.DTL&type=movies

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