Finally, I got to watch a good - nearly great - movie. After dogs like “Date Movie” and “Ultraviolet,” I had the pleasure of taking in “V for Vendetta,” a film about a masked man taking on bad guys as well as a corrupt government. It’s funny, there were a number of conservative pundits out there stating that this movie advocated terrorism, but they didn’t complain about the Zorro movies, which is a masked man taking on bad guys as well as a corrupt government.

Anyhoo, the “hero” is V, a man in a Guy Fawkes mask and V doesn’t like the fascist government in an England some time in the future. Who can blame him? Disease has killed off hundreds of thousands of civilians, there is a nation wide curfew enforced by the military, surveillance of civilans is rampant and there are many innocuous items on a black list, such as pieces of music and art. It was all the work of a man named Sutler, who is the chancellor of England and not a very nice or tolerant guy. V decides to put an end to this man’s government. He blows up a court one night and takes over the television network the next day, stating that in one year, he will blow up Parliament and anyone who wants to join him should meet him there that day.

In addition to V’s preparations, the audience goes into the government’s investigation of V, as two detectives try to figure out just who he is. Of course, as they start digging, they find out things they didn’t want to know about the government. The audience also is introduced to Evey, the daughter of revolutionaries, who had avoided activism in the past but gets drawn in when V rescues her from an assault.

As you can see there are many layers to this story, but don’t think that you will be bogged down in a swamp of plot though. There is plenty of action and humor to go with the thought-provoking mystery and it is visually stunning in places as well. “V for Vendetta” is based on a graphic novel and The Wachowski Brothers, creators of “The Matrix,” adapted the screenplay and served as producers, while James McTeigue, an assistant director on The Matrix movies, was the director. There are several fight sequences that are reminiscient of “The Matrix,” but the film also ventures out on its own and finds its own style.

“V for Vendetta” is the first nearly great movie of the year because of its performances as well as its intriguing storyline. Hugo Weaving does an incredible job playing V, especially when one considers that he performs for the whole film behind a mask. Things get off to a rocky start for him though, but after the first five minutes, his voice and his body language bring V to life. Natalie Portman also does a terrific job as Evey, making one realize that with a decent script, she is a very good actress. Other great performances from the cast are John Hurt as Sutler, who gets to play the leader basically as a giant head on a large television screen; Stephen Rea, as Inspector Finch, a man caught between his government and the truth, and Stephen Fry as Deitrich, Evey’s friend and a man who also lives a double life.

There is little wrong with the movie. The first few minutes are hard to understand and I could have used more backstory on both V and Evey’s parents. I really enjoyed the story though and it made me think about what defines an act of heroism, what defines an act of terrorism and who gets to define them. It isn’t often that a movie that features some great action also has audiences discussing heavy topics. I am glad that the Wachowskis made this movie though and that studio executives had faith that an audience would discover it.

***1/2

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