Rewind Back to 2006: “V for Vendetta” (20th anniversary)
My ongoing Rewind Series is back with another slate of movies that are celebrating anniversary milestones. After November, I will likely put the series on the back-burner until after the holidays. And, since it’s the 20th anniversary of the film “V for Vendetta” (and since I have never seen it before), I felt it was finally time to check it out!
Following the world war, London is a police state occupied by a fascist government, and a vigilante known only as V uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressors of the world in which he now lives. When V saves a young woman named Evey from the secret police, he discovers an ally in his fight against England’s oppressors.
When “V for Vendetta” was initially released in 2006, audiences embraced it as a massive cult classic, heavily praising its blend of thought-provoking political philosophy and slick, high-octane action. And after seeing it for the first time, I can see why casual movie-goers have embraced it.
Despite his face being completely hidden behind a Guy Hawkes mask for the entire duration of the film, Hugo Weaving’s performance as V is easily captivating. His incredible voice control, theatrical delivery, and very expressive body language successfully brought the complex poetic, and fiercely determined vigilante to life.
The central relationship and emotional evolution between V and Evey Hammond (an amazing performance from Natalie Portman) easily anchors the overall story. Evey’s transformation from a fearful citizen into a strong, liberated revolutionary is one of the best aspects of the film and it can also be quite powerful. Portman’s vulnerable and intense performance has gained immense praise from both critics and casual movie-goers alike.
The film also treats audiences to visually stunning set pieces and incredibly memorable action sequences. There’s an adrenaline-pumping, slow-motion knife fight with V against Creedy and his men that delivers a satisfying action-packed moment without sacrificing the film’s underlying intellectual weight. The film also delivers plenty of other stand-out moments, including V’s “concerto” (the destruction of the Old Bailey London courthouse to the crescendos of the “1812 Overture”), V hacking a state broadcast, the march on Parliament
(where we see an overwhelming amount of ordinary citizens marking past armed military blockades) and a visually stunning non-action sequence where V meticulously sets up thousands of red and black dominoes, among numerous other moments.
The film’s deep dive into themes like government surveillance, propaganda, media control, and civil liberties can be easily resonating to viewers. In fact, the film’s sharp political commentary has grown more relevant and prescient over the two decades since its initial release.
The overall critical and audience response to the 2006 dystopian political thriller “V for Vendetta” was generally positive, though it generated significant political and ideological debate. Despite the initial political divides, “V for Vendetta” has achieved a massive cult following.
MPA: Rated R for strong violence and some language (running time 132 minutes)
Initial release date: March 17, 2006
Streaming: Paramount Plus/various PVOD services (as of working on this review)
(at around 1h 40 mins) The domino scene, where V tips over black and red dominoes to form a giant letter V, involved 22,000 dominoes. It took four professional domino assemblers 200 hours to set it up.
The cast and crew were allowed to shoot near the British Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (also known as Big Ben) from midnight to 4:30 a.m. only, and they could stop traffic for only four minutes at a time.
One of the major challenges in this movie was how to bring V to life from under an expressionless mask. Thus, considerable effort was made to bring together lighting, acting, and Hugo Weaving's voice to create the proper mood for the situation. Since the mask muffled Weaving's voice, his entire dialogue was re-recorded in post-production.
In the comic, illustrator David Lloyd often subtly changed V's Guy Fawkes mask to suit the mood or tone of a particular scene. The filmmakers considered designing several subtly different masks, but they ultimately decided to alter the shadows and lighting in post-production.
Certain scenes within this movie feature James Purefoy as V, who was originally cast in the role, but replaced by Hugo Weaving on the fourth week of filming, just after the Easter 2005 break. Weaving flew over to Berlin over the weekend and began work on the project within days with his voice simply dubbed over all of Purefoy's scenes in post-production. Director James McTeigue said in an interview: "Can I tell the difference? Yeah. Can the audience tell? I doubt it."
The scenes in the abandoned London Underground station were filmed at Aldwych, a Piccadilly line station that closed in 1994. The branch still has tracks and electricity, meaning trains can still operate.
The original comic series was created by Alan Moore. However, following his negative experience with From Hell (2001) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Moore decided to reject all money and credit from Hollywood on any adaptations of his work. Thus, he gave all the money he would've gotten to the artist who drew the character with him, and rejected his own "created by" credit from the movie.
All of V's dialogue was dubbed. Initially, a mask was designed with a small microphone inside, and another mic was designed to sit along Hugo Weaving's hairline, but neither worked very well.
Lilly Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, huge fans of the original comic series, wrote a draft of the script in the 1990s before they worked on The Matrix (1999), which shares several similar themes.
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