Viewing Vendetta vindicated various views. The only thing that I had heard about this movie was that the Wachowski brothers wrote it and that their first assistant director on the Matrix movies directed it. I had stayed away from reviews on purpose even though most headlines I did read were positive.

V for Vendetta is a movie that made me wonder, "How the heck did this get released in our country?" It is an unapologetic attack on how we live right now, a film that not only has us rooting for a terrorist but makes us look at government satire and then say "Wait a minute, this is not too far from what we see right now."

While V is not an action-packed film, the action that you do see is executed beautifully. The sword-fighting, knives, and guns all play like instruments in a big opera. The interesting part about the action is that even in the scenes in which you do see action, it is all about enhancing the story and not driving it. The music in the film also fits the theme perfectly.

I have never seen The Professional, and the films that I have seen Natalie Portman in have shown me a mediocre actress at best. No, I am not an angry Star Wars geek by any stretch of the imagination, but until this movie I did not see Portman as a great performer. Here, however, she did an excellent job portraying the character Eve. Showing vulnerability and strength in a very natural way was necessary for making this character really work, and she truly delivered. Hugo Weaving as V was not only an excellent casting choice, but it made for some excellent inside jokes... I'm not going to spoil anything here, but let's just say The Matrix is quoted here and there. Weaving also was excellent acting behind a mask; I was amazed at how expressive a mask can be when used the right way.

While V's political plot that mirrors what could happen (or has already happened) to our world is hard to miss, making it an excellent movie, I look at it more as a true piece of art. It has been a while since a movie can be called art and this one really deserves the title. You have to love a movie that in today's age of fear makes a terrorist the hero, and also makes you root for him. If you have not seen this movie, go catch it at the theater.