It's all about government authority being an illusion at the end of the day... albeit a very persistent illusion the majority assent to for fear of the unknown alternative which in people's minds is likely a state of pure chaos.
@@HouseOfAlastrian Well, not an illusion, Creedy's black bags and batons were certainly busting real heads. What breaks in that scene is the government's *moral* authority. As nasty as it was, the Norsefire govt was legitimate. It had been elected and people welcomed the end of the "chaos" (so easily manufactured as we've seen in the last 18 months). What V really does is destroy that authority. And so people are finally forced to come face to face with what they government actually IS.
Ciaran Hinds, a man able to deliver a scene with a raised eyebrow. Alan Rickman. Winston Churchill. The human voice is the main character in every great story.
@@Real_MisterSir That would require no other people since mistakes are inevitable. It isn't even possible to uphold that standard for others if you choose to live by that code. A code you can't apply to yourself cannot be applied honestly to others by default barring very specific circumstances, such as bodily defense of family, etc. Even those exceptions mostly pertain to emergencies or moments of crisis, which cannot be the basis for a functional worldview since it has no concept of what its own success looks like separated from whatever it is reacting to (reactionary, or an 'anti-position'). This worldview, since it never truly establishes a core of its own that one can live by, should be discarded as something that one can only embrace by lying to themselves beyond what can be accepted as simple incompleteness or normal limitations of human nature. This is a pernicious sin against 'the self', where one must commit to 'being convinced' of a creed that cannot, as I laid out clearly above, cannot actually support its own weight under any burden of logic or lived-evidence.
I know, I know. Everytime someone has a favorite performance by an actor they say "SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED/WON AN OSCAR!" But seriously, it was on the second or third viewing of this movie that it dawned on me that Hugo Weaving was wearing a mask through the entire movie. His ability to convey V's thoughts and emotions without benefit of facial expressions is a masterclass of acting.
Pretty sure a lot of what you see on screen is James Purefoy. Hugo Weaving came in later and redubbed the dialogue after Purefoy left the project, as well as filming additional scenes. There was a good 6 weeks of footage that was overdubbed rather than being reshot.
@@UKProgRock that's actually untrue. While he did to a good bit of shooting, when hugo was cast they reshot (almost) all of his scenes. So hugo was doing the physical performance for the large majority of the film
We have guns! V: No. What you have are bullets and the hopes that when your guns are empty, I'm no longer standing. Because if I am, you will all be dead before you have reloaded.
@@riograndedosulball248 They didn't stop all the bullets, as clearly shown (because he dies). That was never the message; they did, however, stop ENOUGH bullets, since they were likely hollow-points, to allow him to finish the fight then stumble back to his home.
As a Venezuelan, this movie had me crying by the end and I wasn't alone. I saw full grown men crying their eyes out. It's such a powerful movie and also very entertaining and different to the very bleak book.
Back around 2006 I saw it a little discount theater, and by the end, although I wasn't crying, I must have been close. This incredible feeling welled up in my core that I had never experienced watching a film before. I felt like I was going to leap up from my seat.
@@alex6677 Sorry for the lengthy response but Venezuela is quite the weird animal. Venezuela, as a territory, is absolutely stunning. How did it fail so miserably? Socialism. Socialism destroyed Venezuela. I remember hating the "schedule" you have to live in when you're there: running water services is from 6am to 6:30am. Then you have to cook really fast because stove gas only works for about an hour. Then the 2-hours-long blackouts, the internet is pretty much non-existent. Technologically wise, Venezuela is being a good 15 years and you will find very few cars from after 2012. You can't rent empty property you have because the law will side with the tenants, allowing them to stay for free as long as there's a minor living there. I don't know how a country whose main source of income was oil ended up without gasoline. At some point, we realized that we were all poor. Some more than others. My parents are pediatricians and finding a medication that was available or that didn't need the family to sell the child into slavery was very rough on them. The last time I saw my hometown, I was travelling to Colombia (by bus) and I almost cried because between my home and the exit of town, I didn't see a single light on. Noting. No public lighting, no traffic lights, not even the McDonalds sign. It was black all around me and I had the feeling the city was dying. I had to move to Colombia because I have MS and my neurologist (long time friends with my mom) said "Take her to Colombia because if she has a respiratory arrest, I don't have anywhere to keep her". And this was when I left on the first quarter of 2019, right after the nationwide 4-days-long blackout. Venezuela used to be the country that led the rest of Latin America. Electricity, TV, employee safety, social security, free colleges. The previous dictatorship (Marcos Perez Jimenez, around the 1950's) created a lot of infrastructure that worked perfectly fine for 50 years until the Chavistas grabbed a hold of it and just destroyed it. It is such a sad story to tell, and I'm leaving so much behind: newborns kept in empty carboard boxes because there's no cradles in the hospital, doctors and nurses crying in absolute despair because they can't do anything to save their patients' lives, political enemies locked in a place known as "the tomb", where they suffered white torture, people eating off the garbage (I saw this personally)... V for Vendetta's ending showed us what we couldn't do: overthrow a dictatorship. And I've left so much more out.
I love this movie. The “V speech” is one of the greatest uses of intelligence and a thesaurus i’ve ever heard. This is definitely a movie worth seeing and a cautionary tale for our times.
Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified!!!! and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.
People should be afraid of their governments. If we were afraid of those in power, we never would have handed over our liberties to stop the spread of a mild SARS variant. Likewise, it's when governments fear their people that we get gulags, concentration camps and death squads that lead to the eradication of political dissenters.
@@anthonyagureyev307 not even close. We have lockdowns, mask mandates etc because people put too much faith in their governments. And do you really think Stalin and Castro were purging people who agreed with them? History shows us that people should fear their governments and do everything possible to limit their power, and that governments that fear their people will commit atrocities to keep them from rising up or limiting their power. V for Vendetta is empirically incorrect and to believe otherwise is to ignore history and be doomed to repeat it.
Weird that the movie was written by left wing authoritarians. They (falsely) accused the Christian Right of doing what they themselves would end up doing. They became exactly what they thought the Christians were. That kind of projection actually kind of pisses me off and sours the movie a bit for me.
@@cannedbollocks It tells us that the desire to use any excuse to control people is universally valued by those who love power. In this case, the tool was a designer virus that was so lethal that they had to add ‘death with COVID (2+ co-morbidities)’ numbers to the actual ‘death from COVID’ numbers in order to sufficiently frighten those who are emotionally incontinent and easily broken.
SPOILERS: I interpreted the last domino as V’s realization that his plan is bigger than his own, personal vendetta and views. He couldn’t knock all the dominoes over by himself. And, therefore, he must let Evey decide whether or not to blow up parliament. In the graphic novel, V is killed by Finch, and his death is announced publicly. Then, Evey takes up his mask and costume, which makes V immortal. In the movie, V is killed by Credey’s men, and, even though it isn’t announced publicly, the crowd is waiting in the streets. Then, Evey takes up his plan to blow up parliament, which makes V’s ideas immortal. I also think that’s why the last domino is on the train.
Could be. Could just be Evey herself; after all, she was not part of the original plan, she was something new to it, someone with knowledge and agency that he didn't control. I doubt even he knew that he was going to die and she'd have to pull the lever at the end, but she was definitely a new element. But it could also be himself; as the last domino prevented the image from being complete, so too did his continued existence mar the future--after all, the people might look to him for leadership, or loyalists might rally against him, leading to more factionalism. And the discovery of his identity might muddy the waters with small, irrelevant arguments that miss the big picture; his total destruction, remaining forever a mystery, frees the people to start over, find their own, new leaders. Or some other thing. That's the fun part about symbolism if done right; it's not obvious and clear-cut.
I thought the last domino represented himself as a person, and for his plan to come to its conclusion, V the flawed, vengeful human had to be removed from the picture. You either die a hero, or see yourself live long enough to become the villain.
I always saw it as V realizing that once his purpose is fulfilled, he has nothing left to live for. The movement is bigger than he is and he must be removed so that all the dominos may truly fall. More importantly, they must fall on his terms, because if he was removed by another force, then the movement would lose its power. That's part of what makes it pointed when Evey kisses him and he replies "I can't..." we even see that he's tortured and conlicted and wishes that he could just be with Evey. He mentions that there is a man behind the mask, and when he removes it, he shrinks, weeps, and shatters his reflection. He recognized that the movement was larger than its man, and the architect was not only without purpose, but could be detrimental to the message if he continued to live.
Love the movie. The idea behind the fact that "governments should fear their people" is truly a great ideology. They're supposed to be civil servants, doing their job for the good of the majority. We're their bosses and that's not something they should forget or try to flip on us.
@@KezanzatheGreat perhaps but there's been enough times were duly elected officials have done terrible things. The Philippines, as my friend told me, can attest to that several times over.
@@potato1341 If the government fears the people that will only cause them to look for ways to undermine them, likewise with the people fearing the government.
@@codieomeallain6635 Governments already undermine their citizenry in the name of greater power: fear doesn't even factor into it. The only way to keep someone honest when you have no proof that they'll be honest is to provide credible threat that you will destroy them should they be dishonest. If a genuinely honest person/government is in power, they have nothing to fear from the people, because transparency and explaining how things went wrong go a long way in mitigating anger. But if a dishonest person/government is in power, then if you don't have a backup plan you're just screwed. See the modern world for examples and confirmation.
As a story that gets frighteningly more relevant as time goes on, I really appreciate this movie. It's not just a blatant sociopolitical message, it's not just gratuitous violence against the government, and it's not even about V. As she says at the end, he's all of us. It's about an idea that people should be free, to do good or bad, to make mistakes, to choose for themselves. That, I think, is one of the most basic concepts humanity can ever rally behind.
um you can't say that hahaha, great concept but our rights have been gone since 2001 maybe even before that, i dont know what we do at this point except maybe move to Sweden! maybe
Unless of course you're on the left, in which case you seem to love authoritarianism. Sorry couldn't help with the poke but Jesus, for the vast majority of them it's true.
I don't agree with V in that way. Humanity should not be free to do things that are known empirically to be bad i.e. Communism, worshipping Islam, etc. Bad and especially outright Evil options should never be a choice. Outcome-unclear and good options are fine
@@shadowpathfinder7723 Yes, but people will always disagree on what is bad. Their is NO empirically bad, it's all based on ones own morality/ideology. Therefore, people must be free to make their own choices.
John Hurt was the underdog hero in 1984, and the oppressive dictator in V For Vendetta. Great casting choice for two tales based on the same dystopian concept.
I remember the first time I ever saw this movie, I was a young stupid 21 year old living in Las Vegas, the girl I was trying to get with wanted to go see a movie and had just randomly picked this one, I had no idea what it was about and didn't really care. At V's introduction speech, I literally rolled my eyes into the back of my head... I just knew it was gonna be a long boring movie and I was going to struggle to stay awake... But by the time the credits rolled, I had to scrape my jaw off of the theater floor, it had completely captivated me for the entire runtime and forever remains as one of my all time favorite movies, and I'm happy to see the drinker recommend it!
I remember seeing this movie in a film production class. After looking into the differences between the movie and the source material, I believe Moore's criticisms are definitely valid with this one.
"Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V" Never get tired of that speech.
Stephen Rea as Eric Finch is like the straight man in a comedy duo that gets overlooked when praise is dished out. He really is the rock solid foundation that the film is built on. At so many points during the film a lesser actor would have messed it up by trying to grab the limelight. He played the part perfectly, held steady and enables the other actors to shine bright. Bloody legend.
Exactly! It was even a harder role to get right in the movie than it would have been if the film were a 1:1 transposition of the comic to the screen, as the movie has cut out a lot of the Finch scenes that made the source material so harrowingly strong.
I watched this only a week ago. What struck me the most was watching the television news media working so closely and supportively with the Government. it makes the alphabet news channels in the US look like a Bee article, come true.
Even though Chomsky is a senile old commie, the book Manufacturing Consent is an excellent breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between the mass media and government and the power of the media to deliver the messages and ideas that the government wants the public to think.
@@OrthoLou Probably that the media basically works directly with the CIA, FBI, etc. to craft the narrative they spread and have been going back decades. From Operation Mockingbird to the countless "anonymous sources familiar with the matter" that actively disseminated complete disinformation on almost a daily basis during the Trump administration, the CIA has been driving our national media conversation for a long time. I think the OP already knows that, though, 'cause he was saying our media is so bad that it looks like fictionalized, satirical exaggeration compared to the _actually_ fictional state-run media in V for Vendetta.
When I saw this, I thought that Hugo Weaving did a great job as V because he was able to emote so effectively while behind a mask. Using his whole body to convey emotion rather than facial expression was amazing.
I still get goosebumps from the "Ideas are bulletproof" moment. Also, most people think they would be V in the dystopia, when in reality they would be Syme from 1984, or Winston at best.
Indeed. Most of the "cool radicals" on Internet, especially those calling for violence from the cushy comforts of their basements, would shit their pants, moment things will become hot. Which is why I absolutely despise those fuckwads: they want to bring their revolution by the blood of others. As much I hate zealots on both side of political compass, at least in a past decades, they had guts to die for their beliefs (and many did so). Those new generations of political activists on Twatter and the like, incapable of doing anything, but provoke others. What makes it more ironic, that in case of revolution, those cumstains would lose the comfortable lives and end up either dead or poor or oppressed, this time for real.
@@ShadowSumac Everything has to start somewhere bud. Organization is key. One man alone is a psycho. 10 are a gang. 100 a militia. 1,000 a protest 100,000 an army 1,000,000 a revolution But it all starts in the same place. With people saying "enough."
@@lonewolf9578 Mortal Engines got a lot of shit and I think it was in part due to it's marketing campaign being fucking stupid (the trailer tried SOOOO hard to make it look like a woke story when it really wasn't). Personally, I greatly enjoyed the movie's antagonists. Weaving is always a win and this was no exception, and Shrike stole the show every time he was on screen (his necron look was also badass).
@@brunozachary Not a lead? 2nd most screen time (I would assume). He and Natalie Portman share top billing depending on where you look. Hell, the characters name is in the bloody title.
I saw this movie in theaters alongside my entire family back when it came-out in 2005. And I gradually learned that - with few exceptions - among my family and friends that had seen it, I seemed to be the only one who actually enjoyed it. And that perplexed me at the time as to why this brilliant film was being derided off as "boring" and "confusing." And it took me a while to realize that it was because I was the only one in my immediate group that actually _understood it._ I recently rewatched the film with my father in honor of the Fifth last night, at which point my Father now fully understood the movie and detailed that he knew _why_ I wanted to watch it, with it's relevancy being suddenly more _invigorated._ And we agreed that the only problem with the Film's message is that - being a product of the Hollywood propaganda machine - that the villains of the group are fingered as coming from one direction of the political aisle...while everyone with sense knows where the _true villainy lies._ What is so great about V's plan - from my perspective - is this. After he destroys the Bailey and gives his speech over the airwaves...he makes no more grand gestures to the public over the one-year he has before the Fifth. His one-year season of terror remains relatively _private;_ even when after the Censor makes the claim that he was shot and killed at the BNN tower, he could easily expose them yet again by making a public statement that he _is indeed_ still alive. But he doesn't, because he knows he doesn't _need to;_ and that's for at least two reasons. Almost immediately after, we see evidence that the commonwealth know that the reports of his apprehension and death are bullocks, so they don't believe it. It's obvious that what V's speech was about was the truth that everyone was either too complacent with or too afraid to admit within themselves, so they take a bit of pride in seeing someone finally speak-out against the shite that their establishment has become. But the _real_ reason is as follows...because it's like the Inspector says - "He knows us better than we know ourselves." When you get down to it, the rest of the year and all the killings that V conducts are a relatively private if not a personal matter. Yes, each victim he takes is an established party member that contributed to the rise of Sutler's Fascist Regime - and thereby killing them is a necessity to not just punish them for their crimes but to cleanse their influence from the world - they are _also_ the ones who played a personal hand in his suffering and the complete destruction of his humanity. Killing them is the _Vendetta_ he holds to himself and is the severing of the last ties he has to his humanity; becoming fully the _idea_ that the UK needs. But what is interesting is the response to what happens in light of these deaths as, had they simply been reported that the three had been murdered with no other details or connections, people might of course suspect it was him, but not everyone would be quick enough to come to that conclusion. It is instead that the Party-Controlled Media decides to _censor_ the deaths, giving them all comfortable passings to maintain their dignity that _confirms_ to the people that they are lying, that they were all murdered, and it was V who did it... And _therein_ lies the genius of V's plan... He doesn't need to make a grand gesture to the public anymore; all he's doing now is setting the stage, be it clearing a few players from the board or moving the pieces he needs into position. And he does so all without the public eye watching him. Instead he let's the establishment continue to censor, lie, manipulate and try to scare people into complacency. His ultimate goal is to simply let them showcase who they really are and emphasize what they have done and always have done. He's literally letting the system collapse on itself as their mad scramble to keep their power crumbles. And the best part is Creedy - he is the man who is ultimately responsible for securing the Party's success, but he knows that means he is the one who holds the most blame and the one with the most to lose. In essence, he knew one day that if things took a turn it would be him or Sutler, which is why he personally outfitted Sutler's security detail with men that were loyal to _him_ that would turn on Sutler on his word. V just put him in the position where the opportunity to strike was coming. It showcases that even those at the top knew the structure was precarious and it was literally crumbling beneath them. And Sutler, being the arrogant man he was, didn't for once think that he couldn't say and do any of those things without experiencing consequences.
Sun-Tzu wrote in 'The art of war' how the king who has the way/road (Tao) will win. I translate this to: the King who does the right thing. Sutner did not do the right thing, he and his men knew it, and it brought them down. Like you said with more words. Completely agree.
Didn't read all of that... But I definitely agree that conservatives were demonstratized and liberal ideals upheld. And it makes sense for when the comics were written. But for when the film came out...? No. Not to say all political parties aren't manipulative corrupt bags of shit at the end of the day, but these days, I see it more on the liberal side.
"But it sounds fucking cool when Hugo Weaving does it." You can say this about a lot of Hugo's roles. The man is brilliant, and can make even the silliest projects work (cough Matrix sequels).
For years they were all I had to fall asleep to. To this day I can always find perfect pitch with the opening of the DVD menu. (It's an E on every octave)
What are Alan Moore’s socio-political stances anyway? I’ve always been too afraid to look it up and risk lessening my enjoyment of the film by knowing too much about the personal thoughts of the source creator.
@@yousaywhatnow2195 He was an anarchist back in the day. Unfortunately in 2019 he decided to join the cult of Corbyn because blonde man bad. But that's okay. This, Watchmen, and From Hell were the last time he was any good. I mean, come on, Lost Girls? Pseudointellectual excuses for gratuitous sex because he didn't have the balls just to write smut and have done with it.
@@yousaywhatnow2195 he's a far left ding bat, always has been.. (Although he claims that the novel V for Vendetta was supposed to be about an anarchist taking on an authoritarian dictatorship, and didn't like that the film just made it about liberals vs. Right wing). But from what I've seen others say, he's hopped on board with the overreach over the passed two years.
I don't know much about Alan Moore or his work. What I heard, is he is an anarcho-commie. He didn't like Thatcher and thought she was a authoritarian, but he's very much an authoritarian and a hypocrite, because of the communism. His views got us here. That's what I heard, not what I know.
3:15 I just realised that V was born in fire and grew up to be an absolutely pure cleansing fire that will burn the system to the ground and seed it for its rebirth, while E was born in rain and water that usually follows an all-consuming fire and heals the land. I think that meaning is beautiful. He tore down the system as an extreme pure force of nature one that is not good or bad, just nature's ultimate agent against evil, and she's going to rebuild the scarred and destroyed world from its ashes.
One of my all time favorite movies, I always some how end up watching it at least once every year. It has become more and more realistic as the years have passed by
I loved this movie and it actually elevated Natalie Portman in my eyes. The accent was somewhat questionable but she projected her emotional transformation extremely well and it actually felt pretty powerful. And Weaving was an absolute boss. I remember trying to make that eggy bread shit that was in the movie and nearly burned the fucking kitchen to the ground. I won’t be trying that again.
Took a few messy attempts but I did manage to pull off the Eggs in the Basket pretty much as well as V and Stephen Fry did in the movie. And yes... this was the first time I enjoyed seeing Natalie Portman's acting. The Star Wars prequels didn't give her much of a chance to flourish as an actress with its cringe dialogue.
One of the best movies I’ve watched. So many great and often ‘deep’ lines of dialogue spoken by several different characters. It’s also beginning to look more like a documentary these days which is terrifying. Evey: Are you like a crazy person? V: I am quite sure they will say so.
Last time I was this early Scotland was still a relatively free country. I love this movie, btw. Hugo Weaving is brilliant as V, and Stephen Rea is his usual awesome self. Plus, the whole thing was very prophetic, methinks. Great review.
Some of us could see this coming way back in the 1990s under the Clinton regime. (Waco, anyone? Elian Gonzales, anyone?) It didn't all just start with the plandemic. It didn't all start with 9/11 and the "Patriot" Act either. (I opposed the Patriot Act at the time, BTW, and also its earlier incarnation, the Antiterrorism and effective Death Penalty Act (ATDPA) of 1996.
Neither were ever farfetched. Stories like these are made by people who see something horrible just over the horizon, and their stories are how they *scream* at everyone to not let it happen.
@@JM-vp8zc As V might say, "The media may cause strife to the masses, ignorant and informed, staggering the many ideas they hold dear and free within their innocent and insidious hearts and minds, but in the resounding echoed triumphs of the media's agenda, lies the perceived silence between men of individual thought, and their shared resolve to listen and wait, for the right time to pull the rug out from underneath the unassuming media's immense omnipresence. In this manner, ideas, inevitably, land the media flat on its face"
This movie captivated me when it came out, the setting, the characters and the spectacle of it all. It has it's flaws, but the movie as a whole is worthwhile and memorable. Thanks for covering this one Drinker!
Love this film. And I have watched it every 5th of November for 10 years now. As the years roll on, I find myself more chilled by it, as I see what is happening in the UK.
I religiously watch this every year. Something that the Drinker missed was the amazing music score to compliment it all. One of my all time favourites!
This film legit got me into Tchaikovsky the guy was amazing though apparently hated the 1812 overture.... Made it as loud and annoying as possible so people wouldn't like it and had the exact opposite effect 🤣
What are your thoughts on this movie being pure projection? I have a feeling that the Wachowski brothers are perfectly fine with the way the world has imitated their movie, just with the political parties switched.
I saw a real life instance of Evies self actualisation in the form of a WW1 veteran when I was a child. He was very kind to the people around him but did pretty much what he wanted to. Inevitably, he came into conflict with the authorities. When they paid him a visit he just used to laugh, this laugh was possibly the closest I'll ever see to real magic. It turned figures of authority into mewling children who always left whining about how something would be done but it never was. How do you threaten someone who has already been to Hell? This film reminds me of said gentleman for which I'm grateful. The lesson he taught to the people around him with few words is more relevant now than it has been in a long time.
Thank you Drinker for bring this movie to my attention. I've seen snippets for year but finally sat down to watch it beginning to end AND DAMN what a great movie! And you would have to be asleep or have an 80IQ to miss the parallels to today.
Weird that the movie was written by left wing authoritarians. They (falsely) accused the Christian Right of doing what they themselves would end up doing. They became exactly what they thought the Christians were. That kind of projection actually kind of pisses me off and sours the movie a bit for me.
@@the_once-and-future_king. - Like how everyone conveniently ignores that according to FBI statistics 80% of all domestic terrorism in the USA is carried out by right wingers.
@@Noplayster13 - Oh shit, here comes the water works. You right wingers ever stop crying? Doesn't the right-wing victim Olympics get exhausting after a while?
The funny thing is the first time I watched this movie I was over at a friend sleep over. I thought it was an action movie so I was bored and didn't like it. But I figured that my dad would like it. So we rented it and I gave it a second watch. With those expectations gone I was able to go back into the movie with a clean slate. And I actually enjoyed the movie the second time. Now I love this movie. Every time I watch this movie it just gets better and better and I pick up things that I completely missed on other viewings. Fantastic movie.
I will admit that while I liked it in the beginning (and it had some caveats and reservations), I've come to like this more over the years ... especially the irony that this is more relevant *now* than it ever was in 1982 and 2006 respectively.
It always rubbed me the wrong way. The Wachowski brothers projected their own left wing authoritarianism onto the fictional Christian Right wing government in the movie. In a vacuum, the movie is incredible. However, when written by 2 people who actually WANT a government like that enforcing their own ideology, it leaves a sour taste.
@@Noplayster13 An excellent point, most of the Wachowski’s films deal with oppression and control, and since both men have become transgender I’m guessing they have always felt persecuted. Each to their own……..but I do wonder what kind of childhood those guys had, both of them think they are now women?
This was a movie I stumbled on several years ago while perusing my streaming channels one long lonely night and boy was I surprised at how good it was. I was in a state of mind that had placed Natalie Portman in a class of IDGAF about watching her again after the three Star Wars episodes. However Hugo Weaving had my interest after his Agent Smith gave Neo such a hard time in the Matrix. So I ventured to give it a go and wasn’t I surprised at how well this movie played out. It is now on my “Watch once a year” list of favorite movies and I’m glad you reaffirmed my choice, too.
For lack of so any words I agree with you 100% I can watch this movie about every six months and really get into it the characters are so intense and the believability While once seemed unbelievable it seems are relevant a lot more relevant than they were just five or six years ago so I’ll watch it again soon and probably be disheartened by the state of affairs in this world
The movie and the comic book both, without intending to, also highlight a massive blindspot in the minds of most creatives: they can only see fascism and authoritarianism if they approach from the right. Threats - or realities- as bad or worse from the left they simply don’t or won’t see, or, worse, apply all of their energies to minimizing or hiding such threats because they want that world. They are too often not against fascism, they merely want it to be done by their side and continue to call it anti-fascism.
Fascism IS a left ideology. It is a form of socialism invented in Italy by Giovanni Gentile. Revisionist history, specifically starting in the late 60's and 70's due to Soviet agents infiltrating Western institutions, claims it is a far-right ideology. This is the lie that is perpetuated today. Point in the opposite direction and claim 'they' are the ones doing what you are doing. EDIT - I really hate Wikipedia. The mods there continuously change things to further the narrative. In the Fascism article, there has been a back and forth in the revisions section between far-left and far-right as the opening line in the article. Actual history, of which there are plentiful, not-yet-memory-holed texts, clearly show the Marxist idealism that fascism is based on. In fact, both fascism and communism are almost exactly the same, they just go about it slightly differently.
@@SydBat didn't Mussolini like work with this ideology and then he said nah I'm going to start my own and he was the father of fascism and then Hitler says yeah I want to do that too.
Part of the brilliance of Weaving as Agent Smith is the newsreader tone he delivers lines with (he explains this somewhere but Ican't recall if it was a video or text interview). Even his pronounciation is crafted to sound like a precise machine creating the words. "...with th(e) surrrrownding environ-ment..." The voice is perfect for a seemingly detached, rational machine who has to act like a human at times in order to interact with them, but is secretly going insane.
@@yousaywhatnow2195 but in support of the papal authority and Spanish monarchy. The Anglican kingdom and Parliament at the time, though very conservative by modern standards was quite liberal and progressive by the standards of the late middle ages. James indeed was pretty light handed towards the catholics of the day compared to his predecessor and compared to the remaining catholic monarchies on the continent. So yes it was rather ironic because what the real Guy Fawkes wanted was far from creating a less totalitarian regime. Just a different and more totalitarian regime. Which is actually sort of funny considering what the so called antifacists of today want and the ones most readily dawning the guy fawekes mask.
@@80krauser I also think the film is better. It cut out unnecessary, bizarre side stories and adapted the political aspect to a modern audience. Because really, are 2005 audiences going to be as interested in a film about the politics of Margarate Thatcher? come on.
@@lizf2664 They cut out the fact that the rest of the world has been rendered uninhabitable by nuclear disaster and fact that Norsefire's dissolution may spell the extinction of humanity. They only missed out the biggest moral question mark over V's actions and the main source of ambiguity in the ending, thus depriving the entire story of it core dramatic pillar.
Ah, I was hoping for this on the 5th. One of my favorite movies reviewed by my favorite critic. I'm getting married in exactly a year on the 5th, and I need an officiant for the ceremony. I know it is a long shot, but it would be the cherry on top of a perfect day if you would be willing to perform that job. It would be an honor for myself and my fiancee if you would do it, we are both huge fans of yours. I am more than happy to bribe you with all the alcohol you can drink.
Just wanna point out that although they did write the script and supervised, the wachowskis didn’t direct it - James McTiegue made his directorial debut with this. Pretty impressive really.
I rewatched this movie during the pandemic, it still holds up quite well and is sadly a lot more relevant today than it was when it initially released.
Ever since I purchased the special edition DVD set over 15 years ago I've made a point to watch this every November 5th, as well as posts the most relevant monologues from the film on my media pages. Ironically here in The States we are practically living large parts of the film which demonstrates just how much of a success the adaptation from graphic novel to movie was. While it was simplified from the original graphic novel, there is enough of the original to make the viewers actually think about what they're seeing and listening to. Something that's been growing scarce these days in films.
@@DarkMatterX1 Yes, even though it was never intended to apply to the states and only does so because the military invaded half the country and forced them to vote to ratify such an extension of federal authority. Codifying it helps but is merely a speedbump. as the last year and half have shown, as such rules can be tossed aside so long as there is a plausible excuse.
Was the US War between the States about slavery? Or was it really about power and control? Remember Lincoln said (essentially) that the war was much more about preserving the union than ending slavery. The North wanted to “preserve the Union” by declaring war and subjugating the South. That’s like a man beating his wife as a way to keep her in a “good” marriage. A marriage isn’t by definition “good” if you are coerced by violence to obey an abusive husband.
The parallels between the overreach by the govt in this movie and in real life are getting a tad scary. People often reference 1984 to current events and there are some undertones of that to be sure but this movie certainly hits on a few points like the govt exploiting fears of a pandemic to trample individual Rights. Also, that scene where Natalie Portman is getting her hair cut, I don't think she was acting there. She was legit crying.
V for Vendetta world is pretty be the precursor to 1984 which has a far more totalitarian and controlling gov, if V's character didn't succeed or didn't appear 1984 would be the outcome eventually, what's worrying is that we are really very close to the V for Vendetta world right now.
@@AscendantStoic Australia and New Zealand are pretty much there with their "Covid camps". The U.K. isn't too far behind. While I'm sure there are those in the U.S. who would like to implement a camp system, we're a tad too well armed for that although that hasn't been enough to stop all the tyrannical overreach with people losing their jobs and/or businesses being destroyed because they're "non-essential" (a term I despised). hell, there's even instances of people being denied medical care from what I've seen which is a blatant violation of the Hippocratic oath.
@@MegaShangus Comply. Submit. Obey. Live in fear. Cower before the virus with an over 99% survival rate and line up for you boosters so as to beg big daddy govt to give you your rights back.
Brilliantly appropriate Drinker! Wait, it was Hugo Weaving? Damn he has range. Fortunately for us, we live in a more incompetent, earlier version of this setting.
Not for much longer I'm afraid, Global Wealthy Elite have had plans to transform society by 2030 in their sick and twisted image going back to the early 2000's. The Wachowski's are modern day prophets in Cinema. Their films are a real mirror of truth, told "slant" for those who are awake and aware enough to see it. The original Matrix movie blew my mind with the truth it was portraying (told slant) and really set me on a journey of truth seeking / knowledge.
@@Bonez0r I'm taking nothing away from Alan Moore. What I'm trying to say is the Wachowski's have been consistently choosing to direct movies that the story is telling us the truth of our reality "slant". The Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending. All of them provide powerful deeper insights into our reality and this information is (in terms of social awareness) WAY ahead of it's time.
This movie to me is pure perfection at what it was going for. All of its themes and threads wrap up perfectly by then end with such a captivating rewatchable plot. This movie is what got me into writing for many reasons. V's vocabulary is large and his personality eccentric yet viscous, the world is strange yet relatable and well fleshed out and almost every character is tangible and serves the plot well like perfect dominos as shown in the movie. This to me is the most underrated movie I've ever seen and should be seen by anyone who will give it a chance. Such a good film
People need to take a long hard look at this film. We are already losing more freedoms everyday and if we're not careful then the sociopolitical climate portrayed in the film will become a reality for most countries and without a real life V to help us all, the world would turn into the Orwellian book 1984
@@nhmooytis7058 That's what I mean dude, same thing is happening in Scotland. Now you can be arrested in Scotland for possessing a 'spice meme' on your phone or just calling someone names with the new hate speech law. A guy was arrested for calling Nicola Sturgeon (the head of the SNP) a Nazi. Which judged by the way she's running the country and her policies, she practically is. I live in England so I don't have to worry about any repercussions but I an worried about my Scottish compatriots.
@@StubbornBullet YEESH! I’m 69 and grew up at a time when you could say whatever you wanted as long as it wasn’t a credible threat, and we used ‘ethnic slurs’ as teasing with friends. This is ridiculous, but as with all the other inanities if people allow it if will just get worse. BTW Nicola may or may not be a Nazi, but her face would drive a hungry dog off a meatwagon.
@@StubbornBullet Don't call her names, then. Photoshop her head onto a donkey's body and plaster the image all over every city. The only thing totalitarians can't control is laughter. So turn them into a joke and help everyone remember how to laugh.
It's movies like this and They Live that I find so interesting. They were likely written with "anti-right" criticism in mind back in the 80s, but now you could easily see them as "anti-left," politically. I guess it just goes to show there are timeless aspects of stories that transcend even the intentions of their creators.
They were. Being old and having experienced both, while the 80's was no wonderland where everyone walked hand and hand and sang in perfect harmony (there were plenty of problems as in every era), it was light years better than this. Listen to the 'Mircosoft Ignite' introduction and the absurdity of it. They are actively making a nightmare world and calling it good. Something like that would have been inconceivable to the 80's folk. People would have contended 'I know you're going for satire, but it's too over the top.' Except it's real and it will get worse.
They're anti-tyranny, although portraying the evil government as right wing is political bias. We're all blinded by it to a degree. Now with vaccine mandates V for Vendetta is more relevant. This film and Demolition Man now seem like horror films/documentaries than action films.
Развлечения
The scene when the locals gather around the agent who killed the kid and he holds his badge up but it doesn't work any more....pure gold.
The spell was broken and there was no putting Humpty Dumpty back together after that.
I think the kid survives, she appears at the end
@@maekailb Not quite.
All the characters that died appeared at the end in the same way.
I guess they were all ideas.
It's all about government authority being an illusion at the end of the day... albeit a very persistent illusion the majority assent to for fear of the unknown alternative which in people's minds is likely a state of pure chaos.
@@HouseOfAlastrian Well, not an illusion, Creedy's black bags and batons were certainly busting real heads.
What breaks in that scene is the government's *moral* authority. As nasty as it was, the Norsefire govt was legitimate. It had been elected and people welcomed the end of the "chaos" (so easily manufactured as we've seen in the last 18 months).
What V really does is destroy that authority. And so people are finally forced to come face to face with what they government actually IS.
“The elimination of individual freedom and stricter government control…uhhhhhh.”
Had me on the floor!
Just wait til the inevitable -secret police- Health Enforcement teams our nations will be creating have you on the floor.
@@cympimpin20 That will be soon since health organizations could start passing laws all of a sudden.
@@onepoundswallowtwopoundcoc3115 And workplace safety regulations extend to vaccine mandates
@@tyreldor4942 Yep. Scary times we are living in. Worst part is the ignorance of the masses.
@@onepoundswallowtwopoundcoc3115 In the US, OSHA is being turned into the health police as we speak.
“The freedom to make my own mistakes was all I ever wanted.” - Mance Rayder
NICE and fitting quote.
Ciaran Hinds, a man able to deliver a scene with a raised eyebrow. Alan Rickman. Winston Churchill. The human voice is the main character in every great story.
"The freedom of not having to burden the consequences of other people's mistakes was all I ever wanted" - Me
@@Real_MisterSir That would require no other people since mistakes are inevitable. It isn't even possible to uphold that standard for others if you choose to live by that code. A code you can't apply to yourself cannot be applied honestly to others by default barring very specific circumstances, such as bodily defense of family, etc.
Even those exceptions mostly pertain to emergencies or moments of crisis, which cannot be the basis for a functional worldview since it has no concept of what its own success looks like separated from whatever it is reacting to (reactionary, or an 'anti-position'). This worldview, since it never truly establishes a core of its own that one can live by, should be discarded as something that one can only embrace by lying to themselves beyond what can be accepted as simple incompleteness or normal limitations of human nature. This is a pernicious sin against 'the self', where one must commit to 'being convinced' of a creed that cannot, as I laid out clearly above, cannot actually support its own weight under any burden of logic or lived-evidence.
Powerful quote true freedom
I know, I know. Everytime someone has a favorite performance by an actor they say "SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED/WON AN OSCAR!" But seriously, it was on the second or third viewing of this movie that it dawned on me that Hugo Weaving was wearing a mask through the entire movie. His ability to convey V's thoughts and emotions without benefit of facial expressions is a masterclass of acting.
If only the Oscars weren't a huge circlejerk of nepotism...
Pretty sure a lot of what you see on screen is James Purefoy. Hugo Weaving came in later and redubbed the dialogue after Purefoy left the project, as well as filming additional scenes. There was a good 6 weeks of footage that was overdubbed rather than being reshot.
@@UKProgRock that's actually untrue. While he did to a good bit of shooting, when hugo was cast they reshot (almost) all of his scenes. So hugo was doing the physical performance for the large majority of the film
@@kiefferindisguise5196 according to Purefoy himself it was mostly just redubbed.
@@UKProgRock I feel like hed be inclined to lie tbh
It's looking more like a documentary these days...
"Are you saying our government deliberately spread a deadly infection?"
"I'm saying; if they they did, would you really want to know?"
@@harbl99 ……….well, in reality, it wasn’t OUR government. But nobody is going to take on China for what they have done.
@@jimd385 Hey Fauci worked hard to bring the Blessings of Papa Nurgle to the masses.
@@80krauser I understood that reference! :D
Like idiocracy, Brave New World, 1984 and Yes, Minister - it was used as MANUAL.
We have guns!
V: No. What you have are bullets and the hopes that when your guns are empty, I'm no longer standing.
Because if I am,
you will all be dead before you have reloaded.
Double meaning there too he's not just talking about himself but all of those marching for freedom towards Westminster
Only a man as cool as V can walk into a room with gun-weilding enemies while he just has knives and win
And of course he would, because no fucking plate was gonna stop all those rounds, neither wouldn't he get smoked on the face. But cool scene anyways
@@riograndedosulball248 They didn't stop all the bullets, as clearly shown (because he dies). That was never the message; they did, however, stop ENOUGH bullets, since they were likely hollow-points, to allow him to finish the fight then stumble back to his home.
That line, and the sequence that followed, was cinema gold.
As a Venezuelan, this movie had me crying by the end and I wasn't alone. I saw full grown men crying their eyes out. It's such a powerful movie and also very entertaining and different to the very bleak book.
I m from Venezuela to and I understand exactly how you feel
@@victordavila9812 It really felt like they were killing me softly with their song. Impossible for venezuelans to watch without crying, I think.
Back around 2006 I saw it a little discount theater, and by the end, although I wasn't crying, I must have been close. This incredible feeling welled up in my core that I had never experienced watching a film before. I felt like I was going to leap up from my seat.
@@JKPippa hi can you tell us about Venezuela? I hear it’s almost a Garden of Eden, with amazing natural resources. How did it fail so disastrously?
@@alex6677 Sorry for the lengthy response but Venezuela is quite the weird animal.
Venezuela, as a territory, is absolutely stunning. How did it fail so miserably? Socialism. Socialism destroyed Venezuela. I remember hating the "schedule" you have to live in when you're there: running water services is from 6am to 6:30am. Then you have to cook really fast because stove gas only works for about an hour. Then the 2-hours-long blackouts, the internet is pretty much non-existent.
Technologically wise, Venezuela is being a good 15 years and you will find very few cars from after 2012.
You can't rent empty property you have because the law will side with the tenants, allowing them to stay for free as long as there's a minor living there.
I don't know how a country whose main source of income was oil ended up without gasoline.
At some point, we realized that we were all poor. Some more than others. My parents are pediatricians and finding a medication that was available or that didn't need the family to sell the child into slavery was very rough on them.
The last time I saw my hometown, I was travelling to Colombia (by bus) and I almost cried because between my home and the exit of town, I didn't see a single light on. Noting. No public lighting, no traffic lights, not even the McDonalds sign. It was black all around me and I had the feeling the city was dying.
I had to move to Colombia because I have MS and my neurologist (long time friends with my mom) said "Take her to Colombia because if she has a respiratory arrest, I don't have anywhere to keep her".
And this was when I left on the first quarter of 2019, right after the nationwide 4-days-long blackout.
Venezuela used to be the country that led the rest of Latin America. Electricity, TV, employee safety, social security, free colleges. The previous dictatorship (Marcos Perez Jimenez, around the 1950's) created a lot of infrastructure that worked perfectly fine for 50 years until the Chavistas grabbed a hold of it and just destroyed it.
It is such a sad story to tell, and I'm leaving so much behind: newborns kept in empty carboard boxes because there's no cradles in the hospital, doctors and nurses crying in absolute despair because they can't do anything to save their patients' lives, political enemies locked in a place known as "the tomb", where they suffered white torture, people eating off the garbage (I saw this personally)...
V for Vendetta's ending showed us what we couldn't do: overthrow a dictatorship.
And I've left so much more out.
I love this movie. The “V speech” is one of the greatest uses of intelligence and a thesaurus i’ve ever heard. This is definitely a movie worth seeing and a cautionary tale for our times.
Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified!!!! and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.
@@VeteranVandal Epic.
@@VeteranVandal Are you like a crazy person?
@@kaksspl I am quite sure they will say so.
So, we should ignore that it's very much a streamlined version of the source material?
"People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people"
Never before has this been more relevant.
People should be afraid of their governments. If we were afraid of those in power, we never would have handed over our liberties to stop the spread of a mild SARS variant.
Likewise, it's when governments fear their people that we get gulags, concentration camps and death squads that lead to the eradication of political dissenters.
Its relevant because it keeps repeating as no one will snap out of their trance.
@@chrisbingley Huh...you got that backwards my friend.
@@anthonyagureyev307 not even close. We have lockdowns, mask mandates etc because people put too much faith in their governments.
And do you really think Stalin and Castro were purging people who agreed with them?
History shows us that people should fear their governments and do everything possible to limit their power, and that governments that fear their people will commit atrocities to keep them from rising up or limiting their power.
V for Vendetta is empirically incorrect and to believe otherwise is to ignore history and be doomed to repeat it.
Weird that the movie was written by left wing authoritarians.
They (falsely) accused the Christian Right of doing what they themselves would end up doing. They became exactly what they thought the Christians were.
That kind of projection actually kind of pisses me off and sours the movie a bit for me.
Kudos to my local independent cinema - they played this immediately after the first lock-down. Blew my mind.
that's awesome.
@@cannedbollocks Poor, scared child.
@@cannedbollocks That ISIS doesn't value freedom, nor does any government.
@@cannedbollocks It tells us that the desire to use any excuse to control people is universally valued by those who love power. In this case, the tool was a designer virus that was so lethal that they had to add ‘death with COVID (2+ co-morbidities)’ numbers to the actual ‘death from COVID’ numbers in order to sufficiently frighten those who are emotionally incontinent and easily broken.
@@cannedbollocks You're exactly the sort of person who'd be in Sutler's bleachers. Beautiful really.
SPOILERS: I interpreted the last domino as V’s realization that his plan is bigger than his own, personal vendetta and views.
He couldn’t knock all the dominoes over by himself. And, therefore, he must let Evey decide whether or not to blow up parliament.
In the graphic novel, V is killed by Finch, and his death is announced publicly. Then, Evey takes up his mask and costume, which makes V immortal.
In the movie, V is killed by Credey’s men, and, even though it isn’t announced publicly, the crowd is waiting in the streets. Then, Evey takes up his plan to blow up parliament, which makes V’s ideas immortal.
I also think that’s why the last domino is on the train.
I’ve seen this movie at least six times now and never noticed that meaning behind the last domino… but now that you pointed it out, I absolutely agree
Could be. Could just be Evey herself; after all, she was not part of the original plan, she was something new to it, someone with knowledge and agency that he didn't control. I doubt even he knew that he was going to die and she'd have to pull the lever at the end, but she was definitely a new element. But it could also be himself; as the last domino prevented the image from being complete, so too did his continued existence mar the future--after all, the people might look to him for leadership, or loyalists might rally against him, leading to more factionalism. And the discovery of his identity might muddy the waters with small, irrelevant arguments that miss the big picture; his total destruction, remaining forever a mystery, frees the people to start over, find their own, new leaders.
Or some other thing. That's the fun part about symbolism if done right; it's not obvious and clear-cut.
@@BWMagus Exactly. Good symbolism gets you to think, and not in just a "WTF was that?!" sort of way.
I thought the last domino represented himself as a person, and for his plan to come to its conclusion, V the flawed, vengeful human had to be removed from the picture.
You either die a hero, or see yourself live long enough to become the villain.
I always saw it as V realizing that once his purpose is fulfilled, he has nothing left to live for. The movement is bigger than he is and he must be removed so that all the dominos may truly fall. More importantly, they must fall on his terms, because if he was removed by another force, then the movement would lose its power. That's part of what makes it pointed when Evey kisses him and he replies "I can't..." we even see that he's tortured and conlicted and wishes that he could just be with Evey. He mentions that there is a man behind the mask, and when he removes it, he shrinks, weeps, and shatters his reflection. He recognized that the movement was larger than its man, and the architect was not only without purpose, but could be detrimental to the message if he continued to live.
Love the movie. The idea behind the fact that "governments should fear their people" is truly a great ideology. They're supposed to be civil servants, doing their job for the good of the majority. We're their bosses and that's not something they should forget or try to flip on us.
@@KezanzatheGreat perhaps but there's been enough times were duly elected officials have done terrible things. The Philippines, as my friend told me, can attest to that several times over.
@@potato1341 If the government fears the people that will only cause them to look for ways to undermine them, likewise with the people fearing the government.
@@codieomeallain6635 if gov't fear the people what you get is called North Korea!
@John Ashley yeah well that'd simply not happen lol
@@codieomeallain6635 Governments already undermine their citizenry in the name of greater power: fear doesn't even factor into it. The only way to keep someone honest when you have no proof that they'll be honest is to provide credible threat that you will destroy them should they be dishonest. If a genuinely honest person/government is in power, they have nothing to fear from the people, because transparency and explaining how things went wrong go a long way in mitigating anger. But if a dishonest person/government is in power, then if you don't have a backup plan you're just screwed. See the modern world for examples and confirmation.
As a story that gets frighteningly more relevant as time goes on, I really appreciate this movie. It's not just a blatant sociopolitical message, it's not just gratuitous violence against the government, and it's not even about V. As she says at the end, he's all of us. It's about an idea that people should be free, to do good or bad, to make mistakes, to choose for themselves. That, I think, is one of the most basic concepts humanity can ever rally behind.
um you can't say that hahaha, great concept but our rights have been gone since 2001 maybe even before that, i dont know what we do at this point except maybe move to Sweden! maybe
Unless of course you're on the left, in which case you seem to love authoritarianism. Sorry couldn't help with the poke but Jesus, for the vast majority of them it's true.
I don't agree with V in that way. Humanity should not be free to do things that are known empirically to be bad i.e. Communism, worshipping Islam, etc. Bad and especially outright Evil options should never be a choice. Outcome-unclear and good options are fine
I recommended this film today and said exactly that.
@@shadowpathfinder7723 Yes, but people will always disagree on what is bad. Their is NO empirically bad, it's all based on ones own morality/ideology. Therefore, people must be free to make their own choices.
John Hurt and Hugo Weaving. Absolute legends
John Hurt was the underdog hero in 1984, and the oppressive dictator in V For Vendetta. Great casting choice for two tales based on the same dystopian concept.
@@carldonath8196 You can say that again.
Oh, wait!
You already did that.
Never mind.
All you need is a chestburster and you've got yourself a picnic...
Yep
im a massive fan of this film but Hugo Weaving gave literally 1 of the greatest acting performances in last 40 years in this bad boy
I remember the first time I ever saw this movie, I was a young stupid 21 year old living in Las Vegas, the girl I was trying to get with wanted to go see a movie and had just randomly picked this one, I had no idea what it was about and didn't really care.
At V's introduction speech, I literally rolled my eyes into the back of my head... I just knew it was gonna be a long boring movie and I was going to struggle to stay awake...
But by the time the credits rolled, I had to scrape my jaw off of the theater floor, it had completely captivated me for the entire runtime and forever remains as one of my all time favorite movies, and I'm happy to see the drinker recommend it!
Was the girl worth mentioning again, or did she fall asleep?
I remember seeing this movie in a film production class. After looking into the differences between the movie and the source material, I believe Moore's criticisms are definitely valid with this one.
@@sjonnieplayfull5859 Asking the real question here. ;-)
"Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V"
Never get tired of that speech.
"Are you like a crazy person?"
BRAVO!! 😄😉👏👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
@@theq68 "I'm quite sure they will say so"
And no one could have given that speech better than Hugo. Nobody.
Imagine having to memorize that and deliver it convincingly. I'd be like, "um...line."
I love how they cast John Hurt as Chancellor Sutler, in stark contrast to his role in an equally if not more dystopian film of 1984.
+1
The casting was very deliberate
Yes, I'm sure this was deliberate.
You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
That plus Hugo Weaving going from Matrix security AI to resisting the establishment
The fact that V for Vendetta is a spiritual sequel to 1984 elevates the story in my opinion.
Stephen Rea as Eric Finch is like the straight man in a comedy duo that gets overlooked when praise is dished out. He really is the rock solid foundation that the film is built on. At so many points during the film a lesser actor would have messed it up by trying to grab the limelight. He played the part perfectly, held steady and enables the other actors to shine bright. Bloody legend.
Exactly!
It was even a harder role to get right in the movie than it would have been if the film were a 1:1 transposition of the comic to the screen, as the movie has cut out a lot of the Finch scenes that made the source material so harrowingly strong.
I watched this only a week ago. What struck me the most was watching the television news media working so closely and supportively with the Government. it makes the alphabet news channels in the US look like a Bee article, come true.
They often do work “hand-in-glove,” plus all the lies of omission…
ruclips.net/video/e5Wxn37Tt1Y/видео.html
Even though Chomsky is a senile old commie, the book Manufacturing Consent is an excellent breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between the mass media and government and the power of the media to deliver the messages and ideas that the government wants the public to think.
Uh, is anyone going to tell him, or should I?
@@pjstew tell him what?
@@OrthoLou Probably that the media basically works directly with the CIA, FBI, etc. to craft the narrative they spread and have been going back decades. From Operation Mockingbird to the countless "anonymous sources familiar with the matter" that actively disseminated complete disinformation on almost a daily basis during the Trump administration, the CIA has been driving our national media conversation for a long time.
I think the OP already knows that, though, 'cause he was saying our media is so bad that it looks like fictionalized, satirical exaggeration compared to the _actually_ fictional state-run media in V for Vendetta.
I see no reason why the Great Reset treason should ever be forgot
Never forget, never comply
It's barely even known by the masses. People can't forget what they are already ignorant of happening before their eyes
When I saw this, I thought that Hugo Weaving did a great job as V because he was able to emote so effectively while behind a mask. Using his whole body to convey emotion rather than facial expression was amazing.
It helps that he has a distinct voice that is a joy to listen to.
Voice work is a rare commodity these days.
Reminded me of Edward Norton in The Kingdom Of Heaven.
@@NathanCassidy721 Also helps that he comes from a stage theatre background.
Having John Hurt in the lead role of the baddies after his role in 1984's big brother flick was a nice callback
I still get goosebumps from the "Ideas are bulletproof" moment. Also, most people think they would be V in the dystopia, when in reality they would be Syme from 1984, or Winston at best.
Indeed.
Most of the "cool radicals" on Internet, especially those calling for violence from the cushy comforts of their basements, would shit their pants, moment things will become hot.
Which is why I absolutely despise those fuckwads: they want to bring their revolution by the blood of others. As much I hate zealots on both side of political compass, at least in a past decades, they had guts to die for their beliefs (and many did so). Those new generations of political activists on Twatter and the like, incapable of doing anything, but provoke others.
What makes it more ironic, that in case of revolution, those cumstains would lose the comfortable lives and end up either dead or poor or oppressed, this time for real.
Probably the most memorable line from a movie I've ever heard. Its hard to forget.
I would be Mad Max (Mel Gibson). Yes, indeed I would 😎
The current situation has made that painfully obvious.
@@ShadowSumac
Everything has to start somewhere bud. Organization is key.
One man alone is a psycho.
10 are a gang.
100 a militia.
1,000 a protest
100,000 an army
1,000,000 a revolution
But it all starts in the same place. With people saying "enough."
It never ceases to amaze me how Hugo weaving could convey such emotion from behind a mask with nothing more than a nod and a word.
He is so believable as a character in that role. It doesn't seem out of place.
"don't underestimate the importance of body language" - Ursula
I say that every time I try to sell someone on watching this movie. One of my favorites
I think it’s because he’s a classically trained actor and has superb diction
His best performance, IMO.
V for Vendetta is a brilliant and thought-provoking film that is proving to be uncomfortably prophetic.
What I love about VFV is that the hero is never really unmasked, it keeps true to the point that the idea is stronger than the person.
Man Hugo Weaving has had quite the career, from Agrnt Smith to Elrond to Red Skull & even Fooking Megatron!
very good as always also in hacksaw ridge
Awesome in Priscilla too
@@artzreal I love that movie a bunch!
He was pretty good in Mortal Engines too, I loved that film despite some stuff being changed from the book
@@lonewolf9578 Mortal Engines got a lot of shit and I think it was in part due to it's marketing campaign being fucking stupid (the trailer tried SOOOO hard to make it look like a woke story when it really wasn't).
Personally, I greatly enjoyed the movie's antagonists. Weaving is always a win and this was no exception, and Shrike stole the show every time he was on screen (his necron look was also badass).
Hugo Weaving needs more lead roles. The man is a great actor
Check out Hacksaw Ridge, a very impressive performance by Weaving.
Not a lead role but an unexpected one
Check out his Australian films
@@lizf2664 Anything specific? Got a favorite?
@@brunozachary Not a lead? 2nd most screen time (I would assume). He and Natalie Portman share top billing depending on where you look. Hell, the characters name is in the bloody title.
Irony hit its peak when I saw a guy wearing a shirt with Guy Fawkes on it put on a surgical mask before entering the corner store.
Wow, that is a different level of willful ignorance 🤣🤣
I saw this movie in theaters alongside my entire family back when it came-out in 2005. And I gradually learned that - with few exceptions - among my family and friends that had seen it, I seemed to be the only one who actually enjoyed it. And that perplexed me at the time as to why this brilliant film was being derided off as "boring" and "confusing."
And it took me a while to realize that it was because I was the only one in my immediate group that actually _understood it._
I recently rewatched the film with my father in honor of the Fifth last night, at which point my Father now fully understood the movie and detailed that he knew _why_ I wanted to watch it, with it's relevancy being suddenly more _invigorated._ And we agreed that the only problem with the Film's message is that - being a product of the Hollywood propaganda machine - that the villains of the group are fingered as coming from one direction of the political aisle...while everyone with sense knows where the _true villainy lies._
What is so great about V's plan - from my perspective - is this.
After he destroys the Bailey and gives his speech over the airwaves...he makes no more grand gestures to the public over the one-year he has before the Fifth. His one-year season of terror remains relatively _private;_ even when after the Censor makes the claim that he was shot and killed at the BNN tower, he could easily expose them yet again by making a public statement that he _is indeed_ still alive. But he doesn't, because he knows he doesn't _need to;_ and that's for at least two reasons.
Almost immediately after, we see evidence that the commonwealth know that the reports of his apprehension and death are bullocks, so they don't believe it. It's obvious that what V's speech was about was the truth that everyone was either too complacent with or too afraid to admit within themselves, so they take a bit of pride in seeing someone finally speak-out against the shite that their establishment has become.
But the _real_ reason is as follows...because it's like the Inspector says - "He knows us better than we know ourselves."
When you get down to it, the rest of the year and all the killings that V conducts are a relatively private if not a personal matter. Yes, each victim he takes is an established party member that contributed to the rise of Sutler's Fascist Regime - and thereby killing them is a necessity to not just punish them for their crimes but to cleanse their influence from the world - they are _also_ the ones who played a personal hand in his suffering and the complete destruction of his humanity. Killing them is the _Vendetta_ he holds to himself and is the severing of the last ties he has to his humanity; becoming fully the _idea_ that the UK needs.
But what is interesting is the response to what happens in light of these deaths as, had they simply been reported that the three had been murdered with no other details or connections, people might of course suspect it was him, but not everyone would be quick enough to come to that conclusion.
It is instead that the Party-Controlled Media decides to _censor_ the deaths, giving them all comfortable passings to maintain their dignity that _confirms_ to the people that they are lying, that they were all murdered, and it was V who did it...
And _therein_ lies the genius of V's plan...
He doesn't need to make a grand gesture to the public anymore; all he's doing now is setting the stage, be it clearing a few players from the board or moving the pieces he needs into position. And he does so all without the public eye watching him.
Instead he let's the establishment continue to censor, lie, manipulate and try to scare people into complacency. His ultimate goal is to simply let them showcase who they really are and emphasize what they have done and always have done. He's literally letting the system collapse on itself as their mad scramble to keep their power crumbles.
And the best part is Creedy - he is the man who is ultimately responsible for securing the Party's success, but he knows that means he is the one who holds the most blame and the one with the most to lose. In essence, he knew one day that if things took a turn it would be him or Sutler, which is why he personally outfitted Sutler's security detail with men that were loyal to _him_ that would turn on Sutler on his word. V just put him in the position where the opportunity to strike was coming.
It showcases that even those at the top knew the structure was precarious and it was literally crumbling beneath them. And Sutler, being the arrogant man he was, didn't for once think that he couldn't say and do any of those things without experiencing consequences.
Yes.
Sun-Tzu wrote in 'The art of war' how the king who has the way/road (Tao) will win. I translate this to: the King who does the right thing. Sutner did not do the right thing, he and his men knew it, and it brought them down. Like you said with more words. Completely agree.
You wrote a damn _book_ , mate.
Didn't read all of that... But I definitely agree that conservatives were demonstratized and liberal ideals upheld. And it makes sense for when the comics were written. But for when the film came out...? No.
Not to say all political parties aren't manipulative corrupt bags of shit at the end of the day, but these days, I see it more on the liberal side.
Well said, I admit that when I saw it in theater a lot of the message was lost to me because I'm a conservative Christian and I felt very targeted.
"But it sounds fucking cool when Hugo Weaving does it."
You can say this about a lot of Hugo's roles. The man is brilliant, and can make even the silliest projects work (cough Matrix sequels).
Don't forget Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
THE DIRTWATER DYNASTY IS A GREAT MOVIE FROM HIM THATS WHEN AS A KID I KNEW HE WOULD BE FAMOUS ONE DAY TRULY GOOD MOVIE FOR ITS TIME.
One of the great Australian actors, along with Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neil and Guy Pearce
For years they were all I had to fall asleep to.
To this day I can always find perfect pitch with the opening of the DVD menu. (It's an E on every octave)
I still think his performance in all 3 matrix movies was fantastic
While this story *is* aging like a fine wine, I have a feeling that wasn't Alan Moore's intent.
He probably hoped no one would treat it as a "How To" manual.
What are Alan Moore’s socio-political stances anyway? I’ve always been too afraid to look it up and risk lessening my enjoyment of the film by knowing too much about the personal thoughts of the source creator.
@@yousaywhatnow2195 He was an anarchist back in the day. Unfortunately in 2019 he decided to join the cult of Corbyn because blonde man bad. But that's okay. This, Watchmen, and From Hell were the last time he was any good. I mean, come on, Lost Girls? Pseudointellectual excuses for gratuitous sex because he didn't have the balls just to write smut and have done with it.
@@yousaywhatnow2195 he's a far left ding bat, always has been.. (Although he claims that the novel V for Vendetta was supposed to be about an anarchist taking on an authoritarian dictatorship, and didn't like that the film just made it about liberals vs. Right wing).
But from what I've seen others say, he's hopped on board with the overreach over the passed two years.
I don't know much about Alan Moore or his work.
What I heard, is he is an anarcho-commie. He didn't like Thatcher and thought she was a authoritarian, but he's very much an authoritarian and a hypocrite, because of the communism. His views got us here.
That's what I heard, not what I know.
3:15 I just realised that V was born in fire and grew up to be an absolutely pure cleansing fire that will burn the system to the ground and seed it for its rebirth, while E was born in rain and water that usually follows an all-consuming fire and heals the land.
I think that meaning is beautiful. He tore down the system as an extreme pure force of nature one that is not good or bad, just nature's ultimate agent against evil, and she's going to rebuild the scarred and destroyed world from its ashes.
This is hands down my favourite movie ever. I love everything about this movie and I always have a yearly November 5th watching party of this.
"America's been fractured by a second civil war"
(desire to know more intensifies)
"Would you like to know more?
Service guarantees citizenship."
@@SomeDigitalGhost "I do my part!"
*squishes the bug*
The only good commie...is a ..
@@ShadowSumac cue music from starship troopers
Man I only watched this the other day. It's never held so much weight as it does now. Now watching thanks drinker!
The scene were v tells all to the two policemen
@@Optics21 my favourite scene is either the broadcast at the start. Or the end fight with the line. 'And ideas are bulletproof.
Shame the drinker didnt seem to notice the similarities with today. It's almost as if he's suffering from a case of cuckavitis.
@@specialkcitizen6263 except...he did...at the beginning. Seems you're suffering from a case of "not paying attention".
One of my all time favorite movies, I always some how end up watching it at least once every year. It has become more and more realistic as the years have passed by
As a film it kinda has a Mask of Zorro meets The Dark Knight vibe to it
I saw this movie last night. It hits way differently after 2020.
The kind of story that gets more and more relevant as time has gone on, its a gem.
I loved this movie and it actually elevated Natalie Portman in my eyes. The accent was somewhat questionable but she projected her emotional transformation extremely well and it actually felt pretty powerful. And Weaving was an absolute boss. I remember trying to make that eggy bread shit that was in the movie and nearly burned the fucking kitchen to the ground. I won’t be trying that again.
You are clearly a fascist, then. Only dictators get their food cooked for.... chop chop, get on it.
You fucked up toast?
@@tetrasphere8165 next up i will incinerate water!
She arc-ed hard.
Took a few messy attempts but I did manage to pull off the Eggs in the Basket pretty much as well as V and Stephen Fry did in the movie.
And yes... this was the first time I enjoyed seeing Natalie Portman's acting. The Star Wars prequels didn't give her much of a chance to flourish as an actress with its cringe dialogue.
One of the best movies I’ve watched. So many great and often ‘deep’ lines of dialogue spoken by several different characters.
It’s also beginning to look more like a documentary these days which is terrifying.
Evey: Are you like a crazy person?
V: I am quite sure they will say so.
I've watched it many times and while it lowers the suspense, the delivery of the lines still fills me with chills. Masterful.
The Drinker has invented a new vowel sound just for saying the name "Moore".
Last time I was this early Scotland was still a relatively free country.
I love this movie, btw. Hugo Weaving is brilliant as V, and Stephen Rea is his usual awesome self. Plus, the whole thing was very prophetic, methinks. Great review.
As a Scotsman, I approve this message.
back in the day when writers actually knew a thing or two. ;)
November 5th is my birthday and I watch this movie every year on it, me and friends get together, drink, watch the movie, it's great.
That man deserves an Oscar for that performance. Never saw his face but conveyed so much emotion
It’s funny how far fetched this an 1984 looked when I watched them years ago. How times have changed.
Some of us could see this coming way back in the 1990s under the Clinton regime. (Waco, anyone? Elian Gonzales, anyone?) It didn't all just start with the plandemic. It didn't all start with 9/11 and the "Patriot" Act either. (I opposed the Patriot Act at the time, BTW, and also its earlier incarnation, the Antiterrorism and effective Death Penalty Act (ATDPA) of 1996.
We're. Nowhere near it, art isn't being censored, gay's are not hiding in society, our leaders don't threaten us
Neither were ever farfetched. Stories like these are made by people who see something horrible just over the horizon, and their stories are how they *scream* at everyone to not let it happen.
@@davidhawley3337 it’s been a slippery slope.
You seriously didn't see this coming? You must be young.
Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy,
and ideas are bulletproof
But are they Twitter-proof?
all sociall media needs to be destroyed
@@JM-vp8zc As V might say, "The media may cause strife to the masses, ignorant and informed, staggering the many ideas they hold dear and free within their innocent and insidious hearts and minds, but in the resounding echoed triumphs of the media's agenda, lies the perceived silence between men of individual thought, and their shared resolve to listen and wait, for the right time to pull the rug out from underneath the unassuming media's immense omnipresence. In this manner, ideas, inevitably, land the media flat on its face"
@@BSOE3058 bruh
This movie captivated me when it came out, the setting, the characters and the spectacle of it all. It has it's flaws, but the movie as a whole is worthwhile and memorable. Thanks for covering this one Drinker!
Love this film. And I have watched it every 5th of November for 10 years now. As the years roll on, I find myself more chilled by it, as I see what is happening in the UK.
I religiously watch this every year. Something that the Drinker missed was the amazing music score to compliment it all.
One of my all time favourites!
Here comes the crescendo!
@@Osric24 i thought we'd mark this 5th of Nov by sitting down and having a little chat
This film legit got me into Tchaikovsky the guy was amazing though apparently hated the 1812 overture.... Made it as loud and annoying as possible so people wouldn't like it and had the exact opposite effect 🤣
Evey Reborn is beautiful, and was even used in the Interstellar trailer.
What are your thoughts on this movie being pure projection? I have a feeling that the Wachowski brothers are perfectly fine with the way the world has imitated their movie, just with the political parties switched.
Such a good film, it gets more and more relevant with every waking minute.
didn't like the hollywood happy ending the film had, whereas in the original graphic novel, despite V's actions, things pretty much remained the same.
I saw a real life instance of Evies self actualisation in the form of a WW1 veteran when I was a child. He was very kind to the people around him but did pretty much what he wanted to. Inevitably, he came into conflict with the authorities. When they paid him a visit he just used to laugh, this laugh was possibly the closest I'll ever see to real magic. It turned figures of authority into mewling children who always left whining about how something would be done but it never was. How do you threaten someone who has already been to Hell? This film reminds me of said gentleman for which I'm grateful. The lesson he taught to the people around him with few words is more relevant now than it has been in a long time.
Thank you Drinker for bring this movie to my attention. I've seen snippets for year but finally sat down to watch it beginning to end AND DAMN what a great movie! And you would have to be asleep or have an 80IQ to miss the parallels to today.
"People shouldn't fear the government. The government should fear the people."
Wise words.
Weird that the movie was written by left wing authoritarians.
They (falsely) accused the Christian Right of doing what they themselves would end up doing. They became exactly what they thought the Christians were.
That kind of projection actually kind of pisses me off and sours the movie a bit for me.
@@Noplayster13 The same as everyone conveniently forgets the 20 million Russian people killed in the name of Socialist Communism.
@@the_once-and-future_king. - Like how everyone conveniently ignores that according to FBI statistics 80% of all domestic terrorism in the USA is carried out by right wingers.
@@Noplayster13 - Oh shit, here comes the water works. You right wingers ever stop crying? Doesn't the right-wing victim Olympics get exhausting after a while?
@@mrJMD Show a source directly from the FBI, in full, or shut up
I’ve always loved his soliloquy when V and Evie meet. It conveyed such a broad range of emotion.
Viola!
In view a humble vaudevillian veteran…
The funny thing is the first time I watched this movie I was over at a friend sleep over. I thought it was an action movie so I was bored and didn't like it. But I figured that my dad would like it. So we rented it and I gave it a second watch. With those expectations gone I was able to go back into the movie with a clean slate. And I actually enjoyed the movie the second time. Now I love this movie. Every time I watch this movie it just gets better and better and I pick up things that I completely missed on other viewings. Fantastic movie.
This fantastic movie was ahead of its time and will always be massively underrated!
Truly a masterpiece
I will admit that while I liked it in the beginning (and it had some caveats and reservations), I've come to like this more over the years ... especially the irony that this is more relevant *now* than it ever was in 1982 and 2006 respectively.
I watch it every year around this time, the music is so epic.
Same here, it's become a bit of a tradition.
It always rubbed me the wrong way. The Wachowski brothers projected their own left wing authoritarianism onto the fictional Christian Right wing government in the movie.
In a vacuum, the movie is incredible. However, when written by 2 people who actually WANT a government like that enforcing their own ideology, it leaves a sour taste.
@@Noplayster13 An excellent point, most of the Wachowski’s films deal with oppression and control, and since both men have become transgender I’m guessing they have always felt persecuted.
Each to their own……..but I do wonder what kind of childhood those guys had, both of them think they are now women?
This is my favorite documentary
This movie deserves a "Drinker Recommends" more than most.
This was a movie I stumbled on several years ago while perusing my streaming channels one long lonely night and boy was I surprised at how good it was. I was in a state of mind that had placed Natalie Portman in a class of IDGAF about watching her again after the three Star Wars episodes. However Hugo Weaving had my interest after his Agent Smith gave Neo such a hard time in the Matrix. So I ventured to give it a go and wasn’t I surprised at how well this movie played out. It is now on my “Watch once a year” list of favorite movies and I’m glad you reaffirmed my choice, too.
Awesome
Natalie Portman is an insufferable twat, but she does a good job in V for Vendetta.
I hear they might remake this with a female lead..
@@drt1605 sooooo, you didn't get the joke. tooooo bad.
For lack of so any words I agree with you 100% I can watch this movie about every six months and really get into it the characters are so intense and the believability While once seemed unbelievable it seems are relevant a lot more relevant than they were just five or six years ago so I’ll watch it again soon and probably be disheartened by the state of affairs in this world
The movie and the comic book both, without intending to, also highlight a massive blindspot in the minds of most creatives: they can only see fascism and authoritarianism if they approach from the right. Threats - or realities- as bad or worse from the left they simply don’t or won’t see, or, worse, apply all of their energies to minimizing or hiding such threats because they want that world. They are too often not against fascism, they merely want it to be done by their side and continue to call it anti-fascism.
search Yuri Bezmenov "useful idiots" on youtube, you'll understand why. listen also to his "warning to America"
Fascism IS a left ideology. It is a form of socialism invented in Italy by Giovanni Gentile. Revisionist history, specifically starting in the late 60's and 70's due to Soviet agents infiltrating Western institutions, claims it is a far-right ideology. This is the lie that is perpetuated today. Point in the opposite direction and claim 'they' are the ones doing what you are doing.
EDIT - I really hate Wikipedia. The mods there continuously change things to further the narrative. In the Fascism article, there has been a back and forth in the revisions section between far-left and far-right as the opening line in the article. Actual history, of which there are plentiful, not-yet-memory-holed texts, clearly show the Marxist idealism that fascism is based on. In fact, both fascism and communism are almost exactly the same, they just go about it slightly differently.
@@SydBat didn't Mussolini like work with this ideology and then he said nah I'm going to start my own and he was the father of fascism and then Hitler says yeah I want to do that too.
Im very much a traditional left. But modern ultra left is scary. Well funny and idiotic mostly, but also scary because they have more and more power.
No offense wesley, but strawmaning your opposition doesn't make you right.
Its just a great film. Visually stunning, bloody epic acting. Superb score and captivating to watch. Among one of my all time favourite lucky finds!
V for vendetta was and still is one of my favorite movies. Me and my dad wen he was alive knew this movie line for line that and the boondock saints
Part of the brilliance of Weaving as Agent Smith is the newsreader tone he delivers lines with (he explains this somewhere but Ican't recall if it was a video or text interview). Even his pronounciation is crafted to sound like a precise machine creating the words.
"...with th(e) surrrrownding environ-ment..."
The voice is perfect for a seemingly detached, rational machine who has to act like a human at times in order to interact with them, but is secretly going insane.
That's the speech in which Agent Smith compares humanity to a virus, while sitting across Morpheus and demanding some codes.
There's a certain irony to it all, when you consider what the actual Guy Falkes was trying to accomplish with his failed gunpowder plot.
(In his own mind at least) catholic emancipation?
@@yousaywhatnow2195 but in support of the papal authority and Spanish monarchy.
The Anglican kingdom and Parliament at the time, though very conservative by modern standards was quite liberal and progressive by the standards of the late middle ages. James indeed was pretty light handed towards the catholics of the day compared to his predecessor and compared to the remaining catholic monarchies on the continent.
So yes it was rather ironic because what the real Guy Fawkes wanted was far from creating a less totalitarian regime. Just a different and more totalitarian regime.
Which is actually sort of funny considering what the so called antifacists of today want and the ones most readily dawning the guy fawekes mask.
He was based. Catholic, and fighting off the Anglo. Perfect man.
@@riograndedosulball248 Duhhh. He WAS an "Anglo". You've got issues. And some serious gaps in your education.
@@riograndedosulball248 kneel to Rome, or kneel to Christ? Nothing Catholic is based. Ever.
Seen this movie at least a dozen times. Always amazing every time I do. Love it.
What a wonderful movie to watch every year on the 5th of November.
Moore may not like the adaptation, but I like that despite simplifying the story, it is more focused on its critical premise.
Hot take but the film is better. Especially with Sutler
@@80krauser I also think the film is better. It cut out unnecessary, bizarre side stories and adapted the political aspect to a modern audience. Because really, are 2005 audiences going to be as interested in a film about the politics of Margarate Thatcher? come on.
@@lizf2664 They cut out the fact that the rest of the world has been rendered uninhabitable by nuclear disaster and fact that Norsefire's dissolution may spell the extinction of humanity.
They only missed out the biggest moral question mark over V's actions and the main source of ambiguity in the ending, thus depriving the entire story of it core dramatic pillar.
Ah, I was hoping for this on the 5th. One of my favorite movies reviewed by my favorite critic.
I'm getting married in exactly a year on the 5th, and I need an officiant for the ceremony. I know it is a long shot, but it would be the cherry on top of a perfect day if you would be willing to perform that job. It would be an honor for myself and my fiancee if you would do it, we are both huge fans of yours.
I am more than happy to bribe you with all the alcohol you can drink.
That would be awesome 👍
"...I now pronounce you husband and wife...You may kiss the bride...Go away now."
Where's the fooking bar??
Congrats on the marriage, I wish you and your wife a long happy life together.
Hope the drinker sees this and makes it happen for you brother!
@@och70 Honestly would be hilarious, I'd point him straight to it.
Do it drinker!
Love this film, seen it in the pictures, Seeing parliament getting blown to piece's was well worth the admission price.
And you have to remember that Moore never backs any film adaptation. Really a pure comics guy.
Just wanna point out that although they did write the script and supervised, the wachowskis didn’t direct it - James McTiegue made his directorial debut with this. Pretty impressive really.
Did he make something else we should watch?
@@henkfraser5820 Nothing as good as V, too be honest. He was an Assistant Director on DARK CITY - which I HIGHLY recommend.
He was 1st Assistant Director on all the Matrix movies too and directed Ninja Assassin.
@@storiesofbike like I said, he didn’t direct anything as good as V
I rewatched this movie during the pandemic, it still holds up quite well and is sadly a lot more relevant today than it was when it initially released.
I absolutely loved that movie!
V has been in my top 5 favorite movies since the day it was released. Great movie!
When v first introduced himself with all those v words, that was crazy to me when I saw it
Verily
Best string of alliteration in any film, ever.
You can get that speech on a coffee mug on Amazon, i think.
Ever since I purchased the special edition DVD set over 15 years ago I've made a point to watch this every November 5th, as well as posts the most relevant monologues from the film on my media pages.
Ironically here in The States we are practically living large parts of the film which demonstrates just how much of a success the adaptation from graphic novel to movie was. While it was simplified from the original graphic novel, there is enough of the original to make the viewers actually think about what they're seeing and listening to. Something that's been growing scarce these days in films.
Not as much as we are, here in the UK you can be arrested for jokes or being "offensive" In the states you still have speech protected.
@@Johnsmith-fz2dm
Well, yes, because our Bill of Rights is actually written down, ratified, codified, and disseminated individually to all 50 states.
@@DarkMatterX1 Yes, even though it was never intended to apply to the states and only does so because the military invaded half the country and forced them to vote to ratify such an extension of federal authority. Codifying it helps but is merely a speedbump. as the last year and half have shown, as such rules can be tossed aside so long as there is a plausible excuse.
Was the US War between the States about slavery? Or was it really about power and control? Remember Lincoln said (essentially) that the war was much more about preserving the union than ending slavery.
The North wanted to “preserve the Union” by declaring war and subjugating the South.
That’s like a man beating his wife as a way to keep her in a “good” marriage. A marriage isn’t by definition “good” if you are coerced by violence to obey an abusive husband.
Probably one of the greatest movie adoptions of any book or novel. One of my all time favorites.
It is just a beautiful looking film. I will watch this over and over in years to come.
"There are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidence."
Been saying that for years.
Absolute chills hearing the “Remember, remember…” quote at the start of the video. Cheer mate! Great video as always. Na Zdrowie!
And the reenactment with the actual Guy Fawkes so close to the victory he wanted...
One of my favorite movies of all time!!!! So glad it made the list!
love this movie so much I rewatch it every year around 5th of november
The parallels between the overreach by the govt in this movie and in real life are getting a tad scary. People often reference 1984 to current events and there are some undertones of that to be sure but this movie certainly hits on a few points like the govt exploiting fears of a pandemic to trample individual Rights. Also, that scene where Natalie Portman is getting her hair cut, I don't think she was acting there. She was legit crying.
V for Vendetta world is pretty be the precursor to 1984 which has a far more totalitarian and controlling gov, if V's character didn't succeed or didn't appear 1984 would be the outcome eventually, what's worrying is that we are really very close to the V for Vendetta world right now.
@@AscendantStoic Australia and New Zealand are pretty much there with their "Covid camps". The U.K. isn't too far behind. While I'm sure there are those in the U.S. who would like to implement a camp system, we're a tad too well armed for that although that hasn't been enough to stop all the tyrannical overreach with people losing their jobs and/or businesses being destroyed because they're "non-essential" (a term I despised). hell, there's even instances of people being denied medical care from what I've seen which is a blatant violation of the Hippocratic oath.
@@1977Yakko Go away now
@@MegaShangus Comply. Submit. Obey. Live in fear. Cower before the virus with an over 99% survival rate and line up for you boosters so as to beg big daddy govt to give you your rights back.
@@1977Yakko Grow up.
Brilliantly appropriate Drinker! Wait, it was Hugo Weaving? Damn he has range.
Fortunately for us, we live in a more incompetent, earlier version of this setting.
Not for much longer I'm afraid, Global Wealthy Elite have had plans to transform society by 2030 in their sick and twisted image going back to the early 2000's. The Wachowski's are modern day prophets in Cinema. Their films are a real mirror of truth, told "slant" for those who are awake and aware enough to see it. The original Matrix movie blew my mind with the truth it was portraying (told slant) and really set me on a journey of truth seeking / knowledge.
@@Icefury Give Alan Moore some credit. The Wachowski's didn't write the story, they merely adapted it.
@@Bonez0r I'm taking nothing away from Alan Moore. What I'm trying to say is the Wachowski's have been consistently choosing to direct movies that the story is telling us the truth of our reality "slant". The Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending. All of them provide powerful deeper insights into our reality and this information is (in terms of social awareness) WAY ahead of it's time.
One of my favorite movies, partly because it helped me see the similarities between its dystopian world and our current one.
It’s really easy to see why movies like 1984 and V for Vendetta have become very popular.
always thought this was a good film but watching it now after recent events, it seems a 100 times better and more relevant.
Such a brilliant film. Maybe it should be shown to the Australians government.
Why aren't the Australians taking this example.
This movie is probably even more relevant today.
This movie to me is pure perfection at what it was going for. All of its themes and threads wrap up perfectly by then end with such a captivating rewatchable plot. This movie is what got me into writing for many reasons. V's vocabulary is large and his personality eccentric yet viscous, the world is strange yet relatable and well fleshed out and almost every character is tangible and serves the plot well like perfect dominos as shown in the movie.
This to me is the most underrated movie I've ever seen and should be seen by anyone who will give it a chance. Such a good film
People need to take a long hard look at this film. We are already losing more freedoms everyday and if we're not careful then the sociopolitical climate portrayed in the film will become a reality for most countries and without a real life V to help us all, the world would turn into the Orwellian book 1984
WAKE UP, mate. I’m in AU and we’re already there.
@@nhmooytis7058 That's what I mean dude, same thing is happening in Scotland. Now you can be arrested in Scotland for possessing a 'spice meme' on your phone or just calling someone names with the new hate speech law. A guy was arrested for calling Nicola Sturgeon (the head of the SNP) a Nazi. Which judged by the way she's running the country and her policies, she practically is. I live in England so I don't have to worry about any repercussions but I an worried about my Scottish compatriots.
@@StubbornBullet YEESH! I’m 69 and grew up at a time when you could say whatever you wanted as long as it wasn’t a credible threat, and we used ‘ethnic slurs’ as teasing with friends. This is ridiculous, but as with all the other inanities if people allow it if will just get worse. BTW Nicola may or may not be a Nazi, but her face would drive a hungry dog off a meatwagon.
@@StubbornBullet Don't call her names, then. Photoshop her head onto a donkey's body and plaster the image all over every city.
The only thing totalitarians can't control is laughter. So turn them into a joke and help everyone remember how to laugh.
It's movies like this and They Live that I find so interesting. They were likely written with "anti-right" criticism in mind back in the 80s, but now you could easily see them as "anti-left," politically. I guess it just goes to show there are timeless aspects of stories that transcend even the intentions of their creators.
They were. Being old and having experienced both, while the 80's was no wonderland where everyone walked hand and hand and sang in perfect harmony (there were plenty of problems as in every era), it was light years better than this. Listen to the 'Mircosoft Ignite' introduction and the absurdity of it. They are actively making a nightmare world and calling it good. Something like that would have been inconceivable to the 80's folk. People would have contended 'I know you're going for satire, but it's too over the top.' Except it's real and it will get worse.
Stop calling the media the left. They ain’t the left. They’re right wing AF.
They're anti-tyranny, although portraying the evil government as right wing is political bias. We're all blinded by it to a degree. Now with vaccine mandates V for Vendetta is more relevant. This film and Demolition Man now seem like horror films/documentaries than action films.
@@hoosier3060 that’s just incorrect my guy
@@captainpep3 actually it’s not, you’d know better but you watch too much tv.
Brilliant film! Hats off Hugo Weaving for such a powerful performance!
Brilliant film. Slowly getting more and more relevant.
We need to remind everybody why they need us.....