Plot
Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate vision of Britain in which a corrupt and abusive totalitarian government has risen to complete power. During a threatening run in with the secret police, an unassuming young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued by a vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving) -- a caped figure both articulate and skilled in combat. V embodies the principles of rebellion from an authoritarian state, donning a mask of vilified would-be terrorist of British history Guy Fawkes and leading a revolution sparked by assassination and destruction. Evey becomes his unlikely ally, newly aware of the cruelty of her own society and her role in it. ~ Cammila Albertson, RoviReview
V for Vendetta could have easily been a cliché dystopian fantasy set against a stock totalitarian backdrop. It could have also been a heavy-handed warning about the power of fear in the post-9/11 world or, still worse, a wordy treatise on the philosophy of government. In actuality, V for Vendetta manages an almost impossible compromise between these options. Those banking on the Wachowski brothers' trademark balletic action sequences and epic explosions will not be disappointed, while those worried about the brothers' tendency to get lost in their own exposition (a la the Matrix sequels) can have no fear. This movie is fun, enthralling, and thought provoking. Hugo Weaving's meticulous voice acting and deft gesticulations rival the movements of trained dancers as he brings V to life, while Natalie Portman provides a full range of emotion and believable development as we watch her transform from frightened speck within the masses to fully liberated citizen of her own mind. The two find a strong dynamic on which to build their both tangible and symbolic onscreen relationship, and this is the same dynamic that provides the story itself with such a strong backbone. V himself acknowledges that he is a man acting as a symbol, summarized best with V's own exclamation, "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. There is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof." As a result, the symbolic quality of the story itself is not at all difficult for the audience to understand. By the end of the film, legions of masked and caped citizens descending on the houses of Parliament in improbably perfect formation come off not as unrealistic, but as a beautifully stylized illustration. V for Vendetta succeeds where the Matrix sequels failed because despite its disinclination to answer all of the questions it poses, it holds tight to a focused, cohesive theme. This can be attributed to first-time director James McTeigue's ability to place a coherent story at the heart of his philosophizing. There is no simple answer to what role vengeance should play in a revolution, but V for Vendetta leaves to the audience not only the question but the option of whether or not they want to answer it. ~ Cammila Albertson, RoviCast
- Natalie Portman - Evey
- Hugo Weaving - V
- Stephen Rea - Finch
- Stephen Fry - Deitrich
- John Hurt - Adam Sutler
Credit
Sarah Horton - Art Director, Sebastian Krawinkel - Art Director, Steve Bream - Art Director, Kevin Phipps - Supervising Art Director, Jessica Alan - Associate Producer, Gary Dodkin - Boom Operator, Lucinda Syson - Casting, Annette Borgmann - Casting, Benjamin Wallfisch - Conductor, Henning Molfenter - Co-producer, Roberto Malerba - Co-producer, Carl L. Woebcken - Co-producer, Sammy Sheldon - Costume Designer, Isabell Logen - Costume Designer, Dietke Brandt - Costume Designer, Alex Kirby - First Assistant Director, Terry Needham - First Assistant Director, James McTeigue - Director, Harvey Harrison - Second Unit Director, Martin Walsh - Editor, Benjamin Waisbren - Executive Producer, Carl L. Woebcken - Executive Producer, Petra Schaumann - Hair Styles, Markus Bensch - Location Manager, Arri Media - Lighting, Dario Marianelli - Composer (Music Score), Petra Schaumann - Makeup, Joerg Widmer - Camera Operator, David Worley - Camera Operator, Owen Paterson - Production Designer, Adrian Biddle - Cinematographer, Marcus Loges - Production Manager, Joel Silver - Producer, Grant Hill - Producer, Andy Wachowski - Producer, Larry Wachowski - Producer, Micaela Haslam - Singer, Tom Sayers - Sound/Sound Designer, Reelsound - Sound/Sound Designer, Matt Gunther - Stunts, Rocky Taylor - Stunts, Rainer Werner - Stunts, Katrin Schaake - Stunts, Rob Inch - Stunts, David Cronnelly - Stunts, Thierry Saelens - Stunts, Cyrille Hertel - Stunts, Talila Craig - Stunts, Wolfgang Lindner - Stunts, Mark Southworth - Stunts, Eunice Huthart - Stunts, Stuart Clark - Stunts, Andy Smart - Stunts, Adam Kirley - Stunts, Heiko Kiesow - Stunts, James O'Dee - Stunts, Jan Böhme - Stunts, Daniel Bohn - Stunts, Michael Bornhütter - Stunts, Nicolas De Pruyssenaere - Stunts, Yvonne Dietzel - Stunts, Oliver Fritsche - Stunts, Michael Gast - Stunts, Eduart Geber - Stunts, Sascha Girndt - Stunts, Thorsten Gliewe - Stunts, Martin Göres - Stunts, Uwe Gösche - Stunts, Wanja Götz - Stunts, Siegfried Gordes - Stunts, Alexander Hardt - Stunts, Udo Harnach - Stunts, Timo Honsa - Stunts, Tomas Jester - Stunts, Mathis Landwehr - Stunts, Stefan Langel - Stunts, Udo Lüttich - Stunts, Mike Luft - Stunts, Alexandra Nazahn - Stunts, Jason Oettle - Stunts, Markus Papiernek - Stunts, Thorsten Papst - Stunts, Christian Peterson - Stunts, Swen Raschka - Stunts, Katja Richter - Stunts, Armin Sauer - Stunts, Matthias Schendel - Stunts, Babette Schimanek - Stunts, Bernhard Schirmer - Stunts, Karsten Schmidt - Stunts, Rene Schobess - Stunts, Andreas Schulz - Stunts, Wolfgang Stegemann - Stunts, Matthew Stirling - Stunts, Steven Thiede - Stunts, Andreas Tietz - Stunts, Ralph Tillman - Stunts, Vladimir Vilanow - Stunts, Oliver Wiesner - Stunts, David Lietch - Stunts, Antje Rau - Stunts Coordinator, Uli Nefzer - Special Effects Supervisor, Grant Hill - Unit Production Manager, Roberto Malerba - Unit Production Manager, Andy Wachowski - Screenwriter, Larry Wachowski - Screenwriter, Harvey Harrison - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Erich Kraus - Production Assistant, Paul Melzow - Production Assistant, Kathrin Krückeberg - Production Assistant, Todd Goodrich - Production Assistant, Phillipp Kirsamer - Second Unit Camera, Dan Glass - Visual Effects Supervisor, Matt Johnson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Thrain Shadbolt - Visual Effects Supervisor, Bradley Miles - Additional Music, Kita Harrison - Model Effects, Raymond Moody - Model Effects, Charity Hobbs Wood - Model Effects, Nick Davis - Model Effects, Nick Bonathan - Model Effects, Paul Clancy - Model Effects, Steve Adamson - Model Effects, Sean Hedges-Quinn - Model Effects, Geoff Newton - Model Effects, Danny Webster - Model Effects, Matthew D'Angibau - Model Effects, Ian Menzies - Model Effects, Brenda Coxon - Model Effects, Miguel Granell - Model Effects, James McKeown - Model Effects, Nathan Middleton - Model Effects, John Murphy - Model Effects, Alex Rutherford - Model Effects, Nigel Trevessey - Model Effects, Gerold Bublak - Model Effects, Benjamin Palmer - Model Effects, Jacob Van Dohnanyi - Model Effects, Simon Weisse - Model Effects, Nigel Stone - Model Effects, Mark Harrison - Model Effects, Karl Morgan - Model Effects, Nigel Permane - Model Effects, Fran Westom - Model Effects, Bob Farrell - Model Effects, John Rogers - Model Effects, Nik Cooper - Model Effects, Steve Hutchinson - Model Effects, Conway Wycliffe - Model Effects, Doug Bishop - Model Effects, John Lee - Model Effects, John Payne - Model Effects, Jennifer Bowes - Model Effects, Andrew Wilkinson - Special Effects Editor, Niv Adiri - Special Effects Editor, Bronwyn Preston - Unit Publicist, Clive Mackey - First Assistant Camera, Birgit Dierken - First Assistant Camera, Albrecht Silberberger - Gaffer, Dietmar Haupt - Gaffer, Brian "Joker" Mulvey - Grip, Daniel Alvermann - Grip, Helko Klunder - Grip, Christian Scheibe - Grip, Jan Brun - Grip, Ilko Petkow - Grip, Arri Media - Grip, Heiko Jorke - Key Grip, Dieter Bähr - Key Grip, Peter Clarke - Music Editor, Paul Clarvis - Musical Performer, Synergy Vocals - Musical Performer, Damian Anderson - Production Coordinator, Anja Wedell - Production Coordinator, Axel Kahnt - Properties Master, John Hayward - Re-Recording Mixer, Richard Pryke - Re-Recording Mixer, Jean Bourne - Script Supervisor, Emma Horton - Second Assistant Director, Sylvio Lienert - Special Effects Assistant, Joerg Widmer - Steadicam Operator, David Appleby - Still Photographer, Glenn Freemantle - Supervising Sound Editor, Ken Dailey - Visual Effects Producer, Aimee Dadswell-Davies - Visual Effects Producer, Lee Herrick - ADR Editor, Robert Farr - ADR Mixer, Paul Carr - ADR Mixer, Mark Appleby - ADR Recordist, Maren Hollje - Art Department Assistant, Katja Fischer - Art Department Assistant, Marco Bittner Rosser - Assistant Art Director, Stephan O. Gessler - Assistant Art Director, Cornelia Ott - Assistant Art Director, Christian Schaefer - Assistant Art Director, Charlotte Kay - Assistant Costume Designer, Nina Hüskes - Assistant Location Manager, Katharina Gapski - Assistant Production Coordinator, Zewdenesch Zewdie - Assistant Production Coordinator, Astrid Sachsenheimer - Assistant Properties, Adam Daniel - Assistant Sound Editor, Roland Patzelt - Best Boy Electric, Glenn König - Best Boy Grip, Amie Stephenson - Casting Assistant, Petra Wellenstein - Costumes Supervisor, Gillian Dodders - Dialogue Editor, Udo Kramer - Draftsman, Astrid Poeschke - Draftsman, Steven Michael Casey - Electrician, Stephanie Schneider - Electrician, Axel Scholz - Electrician, Peter Kramer - Electrician, Stefan Förster - Electrician, Jens Mackeldey - Electrician, Götz Schmidtzur Nedden - Electrician, Jürgen Ruge - Electrician, Volker Vahl - Electrician, Felix Weddige - Electrician, Matthias Dippe - Electrician, Matthias Edinger - Electrician, Hartmuth Gerlach - Electrician, Holger Lehnau - Electrician, Christian Rybka - Electrician, Peter Kosel - Electrician, Peter Rabe - Electrician, Marco Teuchert - Electrician, Tony Hayes - Electrician, Iris Muller - Extra Casting, Karen Bicknell - First Assistant Accountant, Alison Carter - First Assistant Editor, Peter Burgis - Foley Artist, Andi Derrick - Foley Artist, Ben Barker - Foley Editor, Hugo Adams - Foley Editor, Jeremy Woodhead - Key Hairstylist, Paul Engelen - Key Make-up, Adam Schardein - Personal Assistant, Vanessa Carmichael - Personal Assistant, Sim Bajaj - Personal Assistant, Aaron Auch - Personal Assistant, Rowan Laidlaw - Personal Assistant, Renate Färber - Personal Assistant, Heidrun Schlossmacher - Personal Assistant, Mirjam Weber - Personal Assistant, Grit Menzzer - Personal Assistant, Adam Cocker - Post Production Assistant, Kristov Brandli - Production Accountant, Neil Chaplin - Production Accountant, Joanie Ahuna - Production Accountant, James Hunt - Scenic Artist, David Mackie - Second Assistant Camera, Nicole Dierken - Second Assistant Camera, Lee Thomas - Second Assistant Editor, Beatrix Niemeyer - Second Assistant Editor, Kim Whittaker - Second Second Assistant Director, Valeska Schitthelm - Second Unit Makeup, Eileen Yip - Set Production Assistant, Axel Eichhorst - Storyboard Artist, Inga Meissner - Transportation Captain, David Rosenbaum - Transportation Coordinator, Sebastian Neitsch - Transportation Coordinator, Framestore - Visual Effects, Double Negative Ltd. - Visual Effects, Cinesite Limited - Visual Effects, Base Black Ltd. - Visual Effects, Michael Bell - Visual Effects, Fred Place - Visual Effects, Tom Rolfe - Visual Effects, Andre Brizard - Visual Effects, Judy Barr - Visual Effects, Kim Gordon - Visual Effects, Peter Walpole - Set Decorator, Louis Elman - ADR Voice Casting, Benjamin Dunker - Cable Person, Mark Gudgin - Cable Person, Rafael Jeneral - Clapper Loader, Star's Diner Express - Craft Service/Catering, Jens Neuhaus - Driver, Florian Dieckmann - Driver, Denis Kuper - Driver, Andreas Schumacher - Driver, Paolo Maggio - Driver, Axel Hübner - Driver, Uwe Zegnotat - Driver, Ben Artmann - Driver, Roland Schütz - Driver, Simon Daniel - Driver, Marcel De Lamonte - Driver, Florian Haeger - Driver, Steffen Haronitis - Driver, Daniel Huhn - Driver, Bernd Köppe - Driver, Peti Misaila - Driver, Alex Müller-Lenhartz - Driver, Thomas Siegert - Driver, Tina Steffan - Driver, Susanne Toth - Driver, Altay Ünsal - Driver, Benjamin Weidner - Driver, Silke Werner - Driver, Henri Grund - Driver, Brain Halle - Driver, Jörg Brehm - Driver, Tom Kirsten - Driver, Christian Schoop - Driver, Robert James Napier - Driver, Wolfgang Stübner - Driver, Bert Rüdiger Fix - Driver, Frank Gust - Driver, Frank Mathwig - Driver, Wolfgang Hoffmann - Driver, Rene Keil - Driver, Jan Prudhöl - Driver, Christoph Drobig - Driver, Michael Feuerer - Driver, René Göttel - Driver, Oliver Nitz - Driver, Jimmy Adams - Driver, Jim Magill - Driver, Jimmy Carruthers - Driver, Kevin Tayler - Foley Mixer, Professional Negative Cutting Limited - Negative Cutter, Ulla Schnieders - Production Secretary, David Stephenson - Production Sound Mixer, Jeanie Udall - Set Medic/First Aid, Nicky Jarvis - Set Medic/First Aid, Julie Burnham - Set Medic/First Aid, Jake Edmonds - Set Medic/First Aid, Monika Klatte - Set Medic/First Aid, Thomas Rucks - Set Medic/First Aid, Betty Hellwig - Set Medic/First Aid, Klaus Mielich - Special Effects Technician, Tobias Asam - Third Assistant Director, Christoph Brosius - Third Assistant Director, John "J. B." Bowman - Video Assist, Adrian Spanna - Video Playback, Gavin McKenzie - Video Playback, Rhys Owen - Video Playback, Derek Burgess - Visual Effects Editor, Henning Brehm - Graphic Design, Cineimage - Title Design, Toby Glover - Title Design, Roxy Konrad - Art Department Coordinator, Jason Costelloe - Assistant Editor, Mark Cullis - Assistant Editor, Peter Naguib - Standby Properties, Barbara Berkery - Dialect Coach, Matthias Prange - Standby Carpenter, Ute Bergk - Assistant Set Decorator| V Tvoikh Rukakh Zhizn (1959 Film), V Toy Strane (1998 Film) | |
| V for Victory: Anzio and the Italian Campaign (1988 Film), V for Victory: Guadalcanal and the Pacific Counterattack (1988 Film) |
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