V for Vendetta (2006) (Includes T4 Movie Pass)

Ideas are Bulletproof

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 20, 2006 | 2 out of 3 found this V for Vendetta (2006) review helpful

Pros: People should not fear their government.

Cons: The government should fear its people.

The hero/villain, known only as V, is a modern `rendition' (pun intended) of Guy Fawkes, the man who was captured, tortured, and confessed his part in attempting to blow up the British Parliament building in 1605. V recites the following poem amo...ngst many others throughout the movie: "Remember Remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder Treason and Plot. We see no reason, why Gunpowder Treason, should ever be forgot!" However, the movie is neither a justification for the Catholic rebels of 400 years ago nor a condemnation of the King James administration, which was also a target of the Gunpowder Plot. Perhaps I can best summarize _V for Vendetta_ as an examination of the proper place in this world of those who would say, "We need hope, not buildings" or "Ideas are bulletproof." Are such idealists too dangerous to be tolerated? Do natural rights or even constitutional rights prohibit pre-emptive prosecution of thought crimes? Political philosophy is always a mix of the real and the ideal. So what better venue than a comic-book inspired movie to provoke more questions than I could even enumerate in a simple movie review--questions concerning the role of citizens, the power of government, the justification of violence, retribution, toleration, propaganda, etc? Moral issues presented in _V for Vendetta_ range from unquestionable acknowledgement of the existence of evil in dystopian government controllers to more relativistic and difficult-to-grasp concepts that many viewers might never have even doubted before watching this movie. Then again, much of what you take from this movie will depend on ideals you hold going in. If you are only looking for narrow applications to specific current events, you will find them. But if you limit yourself to such analogies, you will be missing out on the abundance of vital topics presented this movie. A student of Zen training methods may appreciate the direct personal experiences that Evey (Natalie Portman) must endure, while other may resent them. One familiar with Eastern concepts of `Self' may not be so concerned that V never removes his mask or rarely even his gloves throughout the entire movie. The Self is no more a face or flesh and bones than a State is its capital building, is it? An Existentialist may have a better appreciation for the ultimate freedom of overcoming fear and saying, "No" even to ones own existence when the alternative is decidedly intolerable. If you appreciate philosophy in general, or political philosophy more specifically, or if you've enjoyed books like _We_, _Fahrenheit 451_, _1984_, or _Brave New World_, you will enjoy _V for Vendetta_. But of course no prior knowledge is required to enjoy this action-packed and thought-provoking movie. I suspect it will stimulate many discussions and perhaps even an interest in further reading. Read more Less