IMDB | December 7, 2005

RELATED: V For Vendeta Movie Trailer

In a story where Germany won a future World War and Great Britain is now a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as "V" conducts guerrilla warfare against the government. When he rescues a normal young woman (Portman), she joins his struggle against the forces of oppression...

Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself - and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.

The futuristic tale unfolds in a Great Britain that's a fascist state. A freedom fighter known as V (Weaving) uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressive society. He rescues a young woman (Portman) from the secret police, and she becomes his unlikely ally.

World War III has come and gone. In its wake, is left chaos. This chaos was quickly reigned-in by small insurgent groups who used fear, force and "faith" to subdue an entire nation, forging a new, "Greater" Britain. It is in this brave new world that V (Weaving), a mysterious, masked, swashbuckling figure, saves the young Evey Hammond (Portman) from unspeakable tortures, and takes her under his wing, into the Shadow Gallery; a world that may prove to be full of tortures of its own. All the while, bodies have been piling up within the ranks of the England's fairly new but powerful government. All the murders are connected, far deeper than any mere affiliation with any governmental branch. These killings are vastly encompassing, but acutely personal. It is a vendetta: In a totalitarian state, the government has the people convinced that a single "terrorist", V, would have them under siege. But V would stand to say that he is showing the people that they have been under siege by their government. V is out to avenge individuality, and reclaim freedom for the people, even at the expense of their happiness. We are all in prison, and he is "showing us the bars". The lines between hero and villain do not blur, but become frighteningly clear and you will become uneasy, at times, when you find yourself cheering for V. That is, anyway, if the film is anything like the graphic novel. Find out for yourself, and read the novel, by Alan Moore, first. "England Prevails", under one law or under chaos.