I just saw the movie and thought it was good, not great, but good. However, the thing that ran though the back of my mind was several comments I heard about the movie such as it been anti-American, anti-Christian, Hollywood propaganda, the feverish dreams of left-wingers gripped in paranoia. Me thinks doth protest to much! Those on the right who protest movies apparent glorification of terrorism are really complaining about the biting commentary of their political and media icons. From Rush to George and Dick and few dozen others. And as the main character exclaims in his overworked theatrical style, artist use lies to tell the truth while politicians use lies to hide the truth. And here is where the polemic really lies.
cross-posted to http://ruinsofempire.blogspot.com
The would decry a view of a conservative government that controls the media and spins falsehoods left and right. The truth is that the media has done this on a voluntary basis, some more eager than others, but on their own volition none the less.
They should complain about portraying government agents as willing peeping toms, scouring all the frequencies of the spectrum for signs of sedition spying on each other as well as their citizens. Or burst unannounced in the middle of the night searching for all manner of undesirables. Never mind FISA and the Constitution.
They are revolted by the insinuation that Men would, in the name of God, act againts the better angels of their nature, forgetting that is not God or religion that is the culprit but all those that through out the ages have used false piety and empty prayers to dominate others. That in the name of Yaweh, Jesus, and Allah many have willingly done the Devil's work.
They condemn the idea of a government willing to create artificial threats and kill thousands in order to intimidate millions. But we all know that the real world is shock full of evil men, with evil plans that can be easily exploited to create fear among the masses. Why create them when they are already there.
They don't like what they see, but what they see is not reality but a mirror held up to their faces, a reflection, however overblown and exaggerated, but a reflection none the less.
But all of this misses the point, it is just a movie after all. A morality play of what has been and is or could be. The reality is less clear and far more complicated. An hour and a half will not give you all the answers but should give you some interesting questions:
Are good intentions good enough?
Can the end justify all means?
Is the government reponsible to us or are we responsible to it?
If there was anything that I took away from the movie is that power is never taken, it is always given. True, the government can use Fear of violence and death to coerce us, but it is us who accept our leaders decisions. It is we who follow the orders, who applaud on demand and stand aside while horrible things happen to "others" until these things come full circle and happen to "us".
Of course this will be lost among the action sequences and the overt references to a failed American state. People will try to cast one side of the other as been the greater villain, making the other side the lesser villain if no villain at all. But this movie is devoid heroes. V is not a hero, Evey is not a hero, the Chancellor and his cronies are certainly no heroes. You will find only two heroes, a troubled half-Irish Inspector who simply wants to do his job in spite of the stupidity of his superiors and the cunning of his prey and the people who awake in spite of themselves and in the ultimate act of non violence simply show up, strip away the mask of the collective and look at each other and their government and say, without words "We gave you power, and you abused it, know we take it back".
But that just my absurd take on it all. Watch the movie and make up your mind.