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 | V For Vendetta Director: James McTeigue Rating: MA Opens Thurs 30 March  OK, are you sitting down? I've got some shocking news for you: someone has made an adaptation of an Alan Moore-written comic and it doesn't suck. In fact, 'V For Vendetta' doesn't suck so much that it actually gets into the realm of "good", even "great".I realise how that sounds: "but Andrew," you're thinking, "'From Hell'. 'Constantine'. 'League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. They all made me want to pull my eyes out." Yes, they did; and you are right to be cautious. After all, Moore - again - was disgusted with the script and insisted his name be taken off the film (only artist David Lloyd is credited). And the story has been updated: the comic was set in the 80s, after a limited nuclear war had left Britain isolated and under the rule of a fascist government; the film is set about 25 years hence, when wars and a biological catastrophe has Britain isolated and under the rule of a fascist theocracy. However, the central themes of one man standing up to an oppressive government remain; and for all of Moore's complaints, the script by Andy and Larry Wachowski (yes, the guys who did the Matrix films) keeps a lot more of the source material than it discards or adds. Britain is under the rule of Chancellor Adam Sutler, a man whose unwavering belief in the rule of law has seen Britain survive when most of Europe and the US have plunged into chaos, but at the expense of any hint of freedom: the nation is tightly gripped in a mix of Nazi-style ethnic cleansing (concentration camps for gays, immigrants, political agitators and, in a nod to the current climate, Muslims) and Patriot Act-style protectionism (tightly run media, wiretapping, arrest without trial). Into this environment comes V, an anarchist in a Guy Fawkes mask who seeks to overthrow the regime and return control of the nation to the people - and if that means the odd assassination or blowing up the houses of Parliament, so be it... Natalie Portman is good as Evey, the girl whose life is transformed after she's rescued from rape and murder at the hands of the secret police, and Hugo Weaving's performance as V is expressive and evocative: no mean feat for an actor whose face is covered throughout. However, like the original Star Wars trilogy, the film is given weight and substance by the solid performances of the British supporting cast. Stephen Rea is outstanding as the put-upon Inspector Finch, the Everyman whose journey to enlightenment mirrors that of Evey, while Rupert Graves is also excellent as Finch's offsider Dominic. Tim Piggot-Smith is chilling as security chief Creedy (and utters the best "Bollocks" ever said on film), Sinead Cusack is perfect in the small role of coroner Delia Surridge and John Hurt is gloriously insane as Sutler. However, it's Stephen Fry who really shines as chat show host (and Evey's boss) Dietrich, bringing a level of charm and humanity to a character that could so easily have been a mere cipher. One can only guess at the process that brought this story to the screen ("so, Warners, we've got this idea for a film where the hero is a terrorist who blows up buildings...") but instead of feeling like Moore's vision of '1984' has been given a new anti-Bush patina, first time director James McTeigue has made a film that's entertaining, exciting, moving and, as a bonus, also asks its audience to think about what's going on both on and off the screen. Yes, the comic's still the superior version of the story, and ignore the movie-of-the-week-style introduction: despite everything, someone's finally gotten an Alan Moore film right.  | |
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