V for Vendetta (2006)

	Directed by: James McTeigue	COUNTRY USA/UK/Germany GENRE Science Fiction/ Thriller/Drama/Political NORWEGIAN TITLE V for Vendetta RUNNING TIME 132 minutes
	Produced by: Grant Hill Joel Silver Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski
	Written by (based on a graphic novel by David Lloyd): The Wachowski Brothers

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Evey	Natalie Portman
V	Hugo Weaving
Finch	Stephen Rea
Deitrich	Stephen Fry
Adam Sutler	John Hurt
Creedy	Tim Pigott-Smith
Dominic	Rupert Graves
Prothero	Roger Allam
Dascombe	Ben Miles
Delia Sturridge	Sinéad Cusack

Review

In 1999, brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski released a revolutionary film, combining the style and inventiveness of the best entries in the science fiction genre with the subject matter and tone of the classical political thrillers of the 1970s. Titled The Matrix, the film put the Wachowski brothers on the map as a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, their two sequels to that film were nothing but sorry, commercial rehashes – which threatened to jeopardize the filmmakers' integrity.

V for Vendetta represents a return to form for the Wachowskis, after handing over the task of direction to long-time collaborator James McTeigue. The film is an effective hybrid of classic superhero comics and political themes in the vein of this year's remarkable portrait of the former East Germany, Das Leben der Anderen. The parallels between the two films are numerous. And perhaps somewhat remarkably for a film that in essence is an action-thriller, V for Vendetta doesn't lag far behind when it comes to relevance. It doesn't take a realistic approach, instead staging an exaggerated futuristic scenario for its contemporary commentary. This is not an unfamiliar tactic (especially not when John Hurt is cast), but here it is made uncomfortably relevant.

Natalie Portman (sporting a somewhat uneven British accent) and Hugo Weaving dance their way through this constantly luscious film, accompanied by delightful dialogue, elegant rhythm changes, and some beautiful music by Tchaikovsky. There aren't many instances of films that please art-house intellectuals and popular tastes at the same time, but this might just be one of those.