A ‘disturbing’ thriller film with a star-studded cast is now available to stream on Netflix.
With a cast made up of Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, and Rupert Graves, V for Vendetta was released in 2006 and directed by James McTeigue.
Set in a dystopian totalitarian Britain, it follows a masked freedom fighter known simply as V (Weaving) who uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressive regime.
When he saves Evey (Portman) from the secret police, he gains a new ally in his fight against the tyrannical government.
It is based on the DC graphic novel series of the same name, and anti-establishment political groups have adopted V’s iconic Guy Fawkes mask over the years to promote their beliefs.
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V For Vendetta was a box office success, raking in $134.7 million (£90M) worldwide against a budget of around $50M (£36.7M).
To mark its 20th anniversary, the film has arrived on Netflix for users to stream right now.
It holds a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Visually stunning and thought-provoking, V For Vendetta’s political pronouncements may rile some, but its story and impressive set pieces will nevertheless entertain.’
Cinefilia wrote in their review: ‘Not only do I think it’s a pretty prophetic cult film, but it’s also fast-paced and highly entertaining narrating its dystopia about the anarchist vigilante wearing the Guy Fawkes mask to fight a totalitarian regime.’
Oulook dubbed it ‘a bizarre, farcical, political allegory-cum-thriller,’ while USA Today said it was ‘visually exhilarating, provocative and disturbing.’
New York Post added: ‘Just when we were ready to give up mainstream movies as braindead, along comes the controversial and gleefully subversive V for Vendetta, a piece of corporate-sponsored art that will have audiences rooting for a bomb-throwing anarchist.’
‘Whether you’re mindless or Mensa, you’ll find stuff here to challenge and trouble you, the way a good piece of speculative fiction should,’ TIME Magazine said.
MovieFreak.com summarised: ‘V for Vendetta is the ballsiest major Hollywood motion picture I’ve seen this young millennium.’
Speaking to IndieLondon, Star Wars icon Portman explained what it was about V for Vendetta that attracted her to the project.
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‘It was very interesting for me to consider the mindset of someone who goes from being non-violent to being drawn towards using violence to express her political beliefs,’ she explained.
‘I enjoyed the fact that it was a complicated journey that can be interpreted on many different levels – maybe she’s being manipulated, maybe she’s finding her true self, and just developing pragmatism over idealism.
‘I appreciated the complicated view of what would make someone want to do this sort of thing.’
V For Vendetta is streaming now on Netflix
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