The swashbuckling first hour is superior to the second, which bursts at the seams with backstory, but a rousing climax makes this the most potent piece of agitpop in years.
V For Vendetta (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:23
Rotten:12
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Visually stunning and thought-provoking, V For Vendetta's political pronouncements may rile some, but its story and impressive set pieces will nevertheless entertain.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence and some language
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Mar 17, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $70,453,614
Synopsis: Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a young working-class woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man... Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a young working-class woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man known only as "V." Profoundly complex, V is at once literary, flamboyant, tender and intellectual, a man dedicated to freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into compliance. He is also bitter, revenge-seeking, lonely and violent, driven by a personal vendetta. In his quest to free the people of England from the corruption and cruelty that have poisoned their government, V condemns the tyrannical nature of their appointed leaders and invites his fellow citizens to join him in the shadows of Parliament on November the 5th – Guy Fawkes Day. On that day in 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in a tunnel beneath Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He and his co-conspirators had engineered the treasonous "Gunpowder Plot" in response to the tyranny of their government under James I. Fawkes and his fellow saboteurs were hanged, drawn and quartered, and their plan to take down their government never came to pass. In the spirit of that rebellion, in remembrance of that day, V vows to carry out the plot that Fawkes was executed for attempting on November 5th in 1605: he will blow up Parliament. As Evey uncovers the truth about V’s mysterious past, she also discovers the truth about herself – and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to ignite a revolution, bringing freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, a Silver Pictures production in association with Anarchos Productions Inc., NATALIE PORTMAN in V For Vendetta, starring HUGO WEAVING, STEPHEN REA and JOHN HURT. Directed by JAMES McTEIGUE, the film is produced by JOEL SILVER, GRANT HILL, ANDY WACHOWSKI and LARRY WACHOWSKI from a screenplay by THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS, based on the graphic novel illustrated by DAVID LLOYD and published by VERTIGO/DC COMICS. The executive producer is BENJAMIN WAISBREN. The director of photography is ADRIAN BIDDLE, B.S.C.; the production designer is OWEN PATERSON; the editor is MARTIN WALSH, A.C.E.; and the music is composed by DARIO MARIANELLI. V For Vendetta is a United Kingdom-Germany co-production. This film has been rated "R" by the MPAA for "strong violence and some language." V For Vendetta is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. -- © Warner Bros. [More]
Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt
Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Rupert Graves, Sinead Cusack, Stephen Fry, Natasha Wightman, Tim Pigott-Smith
Director: James McTeigue
Director: James McTeigue
Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Producer: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski, Joel Silver, Grant Hill
Composer: Dario Marianelli
Producer: Joel Silver
Studio: Warner Bros.
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Aug 1, 2006
Reviews for V For Vendetta
Feels far too starched and clean to do its source material justice.
This is not the movie, and these are not the times, for sophisticated arguments.
Richly satisfying entertainment the way movies are at their best, when they prod you to think.
Movie fans may be surprised to find [certain] questions being raised in a sci-fi movie. They should, instead, be appalled that it took a sci-fi movie to raise them.
[An] enjoyable -- if occasionally irresponsible -- comic-book thriller.
As manifestoes go, this one's a beauty: draped like a funeral, smart as a whip and full of black-hearted romantic monologues and dramatically slit necks.
V for Vendetta has something going for it that's rare in mainstream films: It has ideas. It has questions. And even when it pretends to have answers, it also raises questions about those answers.
There's no denying the value of Vendetta as an argument starter, even if the basic argument -- when is terrorism justified? -- is something less than novel.
V manages to unsettle and fascinate, riding to its conclusion on waves of unmasked outrage.
Fear is just one of the powerful themes in the ka-pow, ka-boom pleasure that is V for Vendetta.
This future-shock story about a masked avenger at war with a totalitarian British regime sags when it should zip.
The movie's a handsome piece of work, dramatically powerful even when it backs into silliness.
V for Vendetta engages in lots of speechifying about the importance of ideas and the freedom to question them. Ironically, though, the movie doesn't really seem to have any ideas of its own.
V for Vendetta wants to be a thoughtful political allegory, a chaste love story and a high-powered thriller all at the same time. It winds up being a big snooze.
V for Vendetta is a piece of pulp claptrap; it has no insights whatsoever into totalitarian psychology and always settles for the cheesiest kinds of demagoguery and harangue as its emblems of evil.
The film is an intriguing thriller that asks questions likely to have a powerful effect on conscripts in the current war on terror.
V for Vendetta is not a movie of ideas so much as it is an idea mall. By the time you've gotten through it, you feel spent, loaded down and more than a little disoriented.
Latest News for V For Vendetta
February 26, 2009:
Exclusive: Franklyn - Director's Sketchbook
Franklyn may be Gerald McMorrow's debut feature film, but by the standards of even the most experienced of helmers it's an ambitious and visually-stunning movie, telling the... More...
March 16, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Horton Hears Cash Registers Ring at Box Office
North American film fans heard the call of the elephant and stampeded to the box office to see the animated Dr. Seuss pic Horton Hears a Who, which enjoyed the largest opening... More...
February 28, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Semi-Pro Set To Slam Dunk The Competition
A triumvirate of films opens this weekend, but all will bow to the power of the mighty Will Ferrell and his latest outrageous comedy, Semi-Pro. More...
June 29, 2007:
The Weekly Ketchup: "Spider-Man 4" Villain Talk, "Iron Man" Cast Photo, Disney Scraps Lame Video Sequels, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, Sam Raimi discusses possible options for a fourth "Spider-Man," the cast of "Iron Man" is looking rather sharp in the first cast... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- V For Vendetta at Rotten Tomatoes
- V For Vendetta at IGN
- V For Vendetta at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


