V For Vendetta

I went to see V for Vendetta on the weekend. I have been looking forward to it since I first saw the trailer online last month. The first thing I heard was it was produced by the Wachowski brothers, the guys who brought us one of my other favourite movies, The Matrix. Even though I was dissapointed in the 2nd and 3rd Matrices I heard some interesting early buzz about this latest project.

There seemed to be some early speculation that it would cause a lot of controversy, especially among neocon circles. Without spoiling too much of it for you, the story takes place in a dystopian future England where society is highly structured and the government rules with fear and propaganda. The protagonist V, is branded as a terrorist and while one is left to question his motivations and strategies, he is clearly painted as the hero.

I won't tell you any more other than some of the thoughts it provoked. I thought a lot about ends-means consistency and the ethics of using particular strategies for political effect. I also thought about the ethics and effectiveness of what I will characterize as "severe indoctrination." One reviewer described the film as a revolutionary call to arms. I don't think I would go that far but it did provoke some interesting thoughts as well as being entertaining. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.