V FOR VENDETTA (DVD Review) - 31/7/06

Having not seen this film I wanted to purchase it as soon as it was available as I was a fan of the original "Warrior" comic-strip and eventually purchased the complete graphic novel when it was put out in one large volume. Suffice to say this has all the emotional punch of watching something like "The Diary Of Anne Frank" because it parallels the perils of the real world all too much against fighting back a totalitarian regime. Whilst policemen shoot dead unarmed Brazilians in Tube stations and try and cover it up we have the other side of the coin when extremists pack bags with explosives and blow up London Buses - Not so quite clear cut now is it? This poignant film stays in the memory long after the credits roll and really excellent performances from a strong cast only enhance it further. Stephen Rea as the weary cop who finds out that truth isn't to his liking and Stephen Fry in an all to near-the-knuckle straight role finds out the hard way you can't fight a fascist dictatorship. A dark, bleak picture which is reminiscent of Orwell's "1984" in many ways also has the talents of John Hurt on show as the slavering Chancellor of the regime.
This Region 1 (USA) 2-Disc DVD Set is Rated R for Restricted and I presume that is for the very liberal spray's of blood (literally!) and the language - Amazing how nasty Cunt can sound if said properly. With Hugo Weaving as V we get a portrayal of a man in a mask - None of that Hollywood crap where halfway through the handsome actor emerges and preens for the camera - this is played correctly. A film that will be destined to become another generation's "Omega Man" or "Soylent Green" this film fields the ranges of intolerance and bigotry and in a couple of points it's hard to keep the tears back at the injustice dealt out to the victims of the piece. This one will be added to my DVD shelf for further viewing - It's just a pity Alan Moore couldn't or wouldn't add anything to the part - His role in the story is paramount!
SPECIAL FEATURES: The first disc in this set has the film on it and a very nice little making of titled - "Freedom Forever: The Making Of V For Vendetta". The second disc has the featurettes "Designing The Near Future" and a real-life retrospective of the actual gunpowder plot plus a featurette on the new wave in comics from the 1980's onwards. We also get a song to soundtrack montage and the Theatrical Trailer.
Languages: English and French (Dubbed in Quebec). Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (Feature Film only). Widescreen Version in Letterbox Format Enhanced. Colour. Runtime: 132 Mins. Sound: Dolby 5.1. English & French. Bonus Material Not Rated or Close Captioned. Warner Brothers Pictures 2006. 82379/ISBN #1419838830.