Battleangel | Personal

Suffice it to say the best movie so far this year. Probably in a long time. I can’t remember when I last saw a movie that actually touched me the way Vendetta did. Some have complained about what they saw as heavy-handed references to the “war on terror” (which these reviewers have no doubt bought hook, line and sinker) but to be frank none are as overt as we’d come to expect from American movies. In fact, the movie goes far beyond just a few and far apart references to torture and rendition in that it examines the complete spectrum of a contemporary totalitarian state, using most of the variables that we have already set in terms of fear and intolerance. From acute phobias of all sorts to false flag operations and a general Orwellian language that is carried by the media.
For those of us that venture to dig a little deeper into the daily news feed and recent history, this nightmare is not as distant as we would like it to be. As such, V for Vendetta, even though conceived during the Thatcher era, is perhaps the most important addition to popular political debate in a very long time.

Actually, the real downside of Vendetta is when the plot sets in again after a long ponderous section and we are yanked from the grand vistas of poetry and musings. Even the bombastic ending feels small compared to the words, the ethical and political dilemmas and lessons, and the historical link to Guy Fawkes and the “Gunpowder Plot.”

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason and plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot. (wiki)