Someone mentioned to me earlier this evening that “Street Fighting Man” by the Rolling Stones played throughout the closing credits, and this should have tipped me off as to what kind of film this would be. The Rolling Stones, bless their hearts, are political on a very shallow level. “Street Fighting Man” was taken as an anthem of sorts in its time, but if you look at the rest of their music from the same period there is very little overly political content in it. It’s a very casual exploration of subversive philosophies and ideologies without actually having to be terribly committed to it. I don’t doubt that the Stones themselves are liberal minded people and in favour of revolution (when appropriate), but at the same time it’s a very simplistic commitment. It’s the kind of stuff bored suburban kids listen to and think is incredibly mind blowing. You know, “DUDE. That is so DEEP.”
Which brings me back to V for Vendetta. Using this song in the closing credits should have signalled to me that this is a visual equivalent of that sort of political song. The philosophical and ideological ideas it throws around are interesting enough to maintain the momentum of the film, yet at the same time it really fell flat for me because it didn’t seem to go deep enough. I felt the same way after Fight Club: the philosophy is interesting enough, and yet at the same time doesn’t particularly go anywhere. This isn’t to say I didn’t like the film — I did, a lot — I just think they really could have pushed it a lot more thematically.
Anyway, stuff I liked.
01. Hugo Weaving. EGAD. Best masked performance ever. Despite the fact that the mask is (obviously) frozen in that frightful smile the entire film, the intonations in his voice were enough to allow you to see facial expressions on the mask even though it was static. Amazing, really. And I have no idea how he delivered all those alliterative words in that speech when he first meets Evey, but it was fantastic.
02. Natalie Portman. She’s finally learned how to cry convincingly. And she’s kinda hot when she’s bald, so that’s a point in her favour.
03. Is there any particular reason why V had so much clothing for petite women stashed away in his subterranean abode? No, really, I know he’s “reclaiming” stuff from the Government, but I hardly think women’s fashion of that sort was on the outlawed list.
04. I absolutely adored the part when V appeared on the uncensored version of the TV show and ended up playing washboard in the band. KILLER.
05. I’m glad they didn’t unmask him at the end.
06. Great use of Beethoven’s Fifth. And one never tires of watching stuff blow up while the 1812 Overture is playing, loudly.
07. DOMINOES. It would take forever to set those up (which leads me to believe they’re CGI, but whatever), but more importantly it was great watching them all topple in succession. I was tempted to start yelling “SYMBOLISM!” in the theatre because it was so freaking obvious, but because it was also equally awesome I refrained. [And because I didn't want to get kicked out, duh.]
08. Knives. If there’s one thing I like about contemporary action films, it’s the resurrection of the blade. Swords, knives, hell even bayonettes, it’s all good. If you’re going to kill a man, you should at least have to be standing in front of him to do it. Guns are for lameasses.
09. Cult of Personality. I love it when Big Brother-type governments in films take on visual propaganda of Stalin-esque epic proportions. The colour and the uniformity and the strength and power conveyed by their chosen symbols was just fantastic, as it was obviously meant to be.
I liked it well enough. That it’s still on my mind is a good sign and a point in the “good” column. The true test, of course, is whether or not I’m going ot buy it on DVD later and I’m not yet decided about that. However, I can tell you that I sure as hell won’t be buying Beowulf and Grendel.