Directed by James McTeigue
Adapted from the comic by Alan Moore and David Lloyd by the Wachowski bros.
Produced by Joel Silver
Whenever a film is made which is based on a comic book, I think it’s important to keep in mind that that film is very much a piece of art unto itself. I find the nitpicking that often occurs due to irrelevant differences between a comic book and its adaptation unhelpful, serving only to cloud the issue of how effective the film is on its own terms and to make comic book fans look like the pedantic and impossible-to-satisfy armchair critics that we often are. That said, I was still slightly trepidatious about how well director James McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers would be able to capture the essence of the comic book that their V for Vendetta film is based on, and whether a major studio like Warner Bros. would even dare to finance such a project whilst retaining its overtly provocative and anti-authoritarian message. Thankfully, my fears were allayed somewhat when I realised that I wasn’t going to see an attempt to faithfully recreate the book page-for-page on the screen à la Sin City, but instead an effort to present the spirit of the book in an updated context, keeping everything that was compelling about Moore and Lloyd’s work but changing it just enough that it works as a separate cinematic entity. And it really does work.
V himself is the biggest hurdle that the film has to overcome, as whilst a constantly masked man makes for a great image on paper, it’s a far more difficult concept to execute on film. Luckily, Hugo Weaving plays the part excellently, making the most of his rich voice and theatrical approach to body language to convey the kind of emotion that his mask prevents him from displaying through his face. The grandeur of V’s attractive approach to terrorism (or should that be freedom fighting?) isn’t lost on the cinematographers either, as the scenes in which he commits his acts of violence are made as slick and attractive to the viewer as V’s ideas are eventually to become for the disenfranchised masses of V for Vendetta’s future Britain. V’s message to the people is an important one, and his direct address to the populous via the television – occurring earlier here than it did in the book - sets in motion a course of events which builds into a movement which questions the fascist state that this Britain has become, finding the time to ask a few pertinent questions about the nature of power, democracy and the responsibilities of society along the way.
The Wachowski brothers wisely choose to make some judicious edits to Moore’s original text, cutting whole subplots which are unnecessary for a 2-hour feature film, and concentrating on getting their core story right. The only part which did feel like it received short shrift was V’s Larkhill backstory, which was transposed faithfully in visual terms but didn’t really get enough time to breathe, to cement its place in the story or to flesh out V’s history to a satisfying level. Other changes for the benefit of cinema audiences are more subtle in nature, updating some of the concepts of the book for modern times. Roger Allam’s Prothero becomes an all-too-familiar television commentator, preaching intolerance and hate as a right-wing mouthpiece of the state. Stephen Fry gives a neatly understated performance in the role of TV show host Deitrich, humanising the character brilliantly in his scenes with Natalie Portman and making his eventual fate all the more meaningful – even if it does seem a bit out of character for him to not fear severe consequences after he attacks the government as outrageously as he does. Portman herself is good in the role of Evey, giving a passable English accent if not a perfect one, and giving real heart to the performance, particularly in the much talked-about sequence which details her imprisonment and torture at the hands of her captor. However, special praise has to go to Stephen Rea as police Inspector Finch who, surprisingly, feels like he holds the film together more than any other character, making Finch one of the most relatable characters in the piece and using him to explore just how we might feel if we realised that our government was more corrupt and manipulative that we ever feared possible.
James McTeigue’s direction is solid too, making the most of the source material without ever overwhelming Moore and Lloyd’s original vision with his own take on their work. He clearly has a strong visual sensibility, which is essential in bringing some of the most important moments from the book to life. Evey’s rebirth is juxtaposed with V’s origins in a tremendously powerful and well-edited sequence, and some of the shots of V’s “shadow gallery” look as though they could have been lifted directly from Lloyd’s pages. There’s a real attention to detail evident, whether it’s McTeigue taking the time to embellish the standout "Valerie" sequence to such an extent that it becomes a truly moving mini-drama in its own right (and more effective for me than the same sequence in the comic) or adding tiny touches like the matching of the rhythm of the characters’ speech during the scene in which V confronts Creedy in his glasshouse to the timbre of the accompanying music perfectly. The director also sees fit to add some fun little touches which act as in-jokes for certain sections of the audience, ranging from a great parody of two particular British comedy TV shows to the inclusion of an extra who looks suspiciously like Alan Moore in one or two of the pub scenes. However, McTeigue never lets the detail crowd out the central characters or get in the way of his strong narrative, and as the film builds up to its explosive and satisfying climax, it’s difficult to escape the chills down your neck which should signify that this is a very effective and affecting piece of filmmaking.
I won’t say that V for Vendetta is a perfect film – indeed, the book itself wasn’t without its flaws – and it definitely suffers slightly from an overly long midsection and an occasional tendency to undercut the grandeur and mystery of “V” with some lighter, almost comedic sequences (the alliterative opening monologue was definitely a mis-step for me, but things do get better from there). There are also a few amusingly American takes on British characteristics (note to screenwriters: not everyone in Britain says the word “bollocks” in every sentence), but overall the atmosphere was very strong, and a far more convincing vision of a 1984-esque future Britain than I would have expected from an American production.
Personally, the film felt very resonant for me – perhaps because of the British setting, and perhaps because the issues and ideas which it tackles are still fundamental elements of society, with a significance which is arguably greater today than at any time in the last 50 years. It’s careful not to make a target of any particular administration or regime, but provides enough stimulus and contemporary detail that any intelligent viewer won’t be able to help but apply it to the world around us today. Crucially, I felt that the ideologies and concepts which are at the heart of V’s existence were preserved in the transition from page to screen, and it’s to the producers’ credit that they didn’t feel the need to over-simplify it or soften the edges of V’s character for mass consumption. I’ll be interested to see what kind of reaction this film receives over the coming weeks, and I hope it receives the exposure it deserves, because it’s a very challenging and refreshingly unpatronising mainstream movie – but most of all, it’s an entertaining and thought-provoking one. If only all “comic book films” were this good.
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