Government Oppression And Freedom In V For Vendetta

Introducing the film ‘V for Vendetta’ by James McTeigue, the audience is presented London portrayed in a fascist ruling, during the early years of 2000 to 2015. During the film, the genre is evidently transitioning through thriller, mystery, action, drama and science fiction. The protagonist ‘V’ is played by Hugo Weaving, the loyal Evey Hammond by Natalie Portman, the police investigator Eric Finch by Stephan Rea, the antagonist Peter Creedy played by Tim Piggot-Smith and the power-hungry Adam Sutler played by John Hurt. After the world war, London is portrayed as a fascist government-occupied police state, and a vigilante only known as V (Hugo Weaving) utilizes terrorist tactics to battle the oppressors of the world he now lives in.

The three themes that are evident in the film are government oppression and freedom, Vendettas, and love. Government oppression is portrayed through the film to be a major theme which is evident in the scene where civilians are forced to applaud during a comedy through the group of armed soldiers. In addition, subtle hints are displayed throughout the film of the oppression the citizens must go through. For example, above the television in the nursing home, there is a poster of Adam Sutler. As well as this, during the election the audience is displayed that as a result of Adam Sutler’s success in obtaining power, safety and order of London would be protected but at the cost of the citizens freedom. Another theme that is major is Vendetta. Vendetta is clearly stated in the title of the film, ‘V for Vendetta’, but this is not the only hint of vengeance in the film. Clearly the vendetta V displays is fierce as V was not only “turn[ed] into a monster” as a result of the many doctors and experimenters in Larkhill, but also had displayed a vendetta towards oppressors such as Adam Sutler and Peter Creedy for their oppressive nature. As well as this, Evie is demonstrated to show vengeance towards the government due to her father, mother and boss (Deitrich) being stolen away from her. Love is another major theme that is evident through the female to female relationship that is displayed from Valerie Page and Sara. They are both portrayed to have been in a deep relationship, and as a result, Valerie had lost her parents. They have both been abducted by the government due to what is evidently their lesbian relationship, as the next shot transitions into two men sleeping together being abducted as well. Love is also shown through Evie and V for Vendetta, as Evie wants to comprehend V personally, and even kisses V’s mask when V is about to make the sacrifice.

Four characters who had personal motivations that are major in the film are V, Evie, Eric Finch and Peter Creedy. V had the motivation of vengeance, evident from his actions throughout the film. V cunningly exterminates anyone willing to go against V’s idea and the people who have turned V into a monster (Delia Surridge (doctor) and Peter Creedy). V aims towards giving the citizens of London their freedom and power, as a result of demolishing government buildings such as the Big Ben and the parliament. Nonetheless, V wouldn’t be able to accomplish the objective without Evie’s emotional support. Evie physically did nothing to help V, and could be argued that she was a burden to V. However, she was a mental reminder of why the people need V, due to her fear towards the oppressors that took her family away. V is a symbol of hope and strength to Evie. Evie’s motivations are fuelled through the actions of V and the horror that she used to have towards the oppressors. She develops the lack of fear due to V’s torture and has been represented to be similar to V in how they both endear the torture for their freedom. On the contrary, the police officer Eric Finch displays motivation to uncover the identity of V, but V’s anonymity and cunningness prevents him from getting a glimpse of V. As well as this, Eric Finch doesn’t have enough time when V escapes during the exterminations, always having enough time to leave a rose at the dead bodies. Not only is Eric Finch motivated to accomplish his goal of revealing V, but he wants to keep his position in power maintained, evident when Peter Creedy threatens Eric Finch. The antagonist Peter Creedy is displayed as a menacing murderer, who is motivated by the abductions of people who go against his ideas. This includes lesbians, gays and anyone who positions against the ‘order’ of London.

I feel the film was a reminder of the power of people and how we can repress against oppressors. The film had major themes and appealed to an audience that would enjoy thriller, mystery and a touch of romance. The film watched the second time had opened many positions and ideas I have missed watching the film the first time. V’s identity has intrigued me but the second time watching the film, I have realised that V would not even be identifiable due to the burns he has received during Larkhill. However, what surprised me the second time watching the film was the amount of detail displayed during the film. All in all, the film had an interesting narrative with a present setting that displays how actions and ideas can change the world forever. If I were to rate the film out of 10, I would rate it 7.