V for Vendetta Thriller - Essay Example

17 November Assignment Directed by James McTeigue, ‘V for Vendetta’ is a dystopian thriller based on the comic d by the same written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Hugo Weaving portrays the role of ‘V’ a bold man full of charisma, trying to figure out a way to seek revenge with those who did wrong to him. It is a though provoking film set near Britain in the near future. He is forced to acknowledge himself in the face of adversity and come to terms with what he understands social justice as. He has been wronged by people in the past and wants to fight an eye for an eye because of his choosing hatred over love. According to the movie, V has tried to depict a different side to the aspect of violence altogether, by stating that it can be used for the good of social justice and this paper helps to provide an insight into the very aspect of the film through V’s actions and how they may be used for the good of society. V tries to make use of strategy rather that muscle power in order to come up with the best possible way to tear down the tyrannical rule that the society was bound by. The only emotion that motivates him is revenge and he is often seen being overshadowed by the demarcation between revenge and justice. He has a common goal to unite the people of dystopian Britain to overthrow the dictatorship that had been established by the use of force however he soon realises that his own will to seek vengeance gets caught up in the bigger picture. (Huck) He says, “Anarchy wears two faces, both creator and destroyer. Thus destroyers topple empires; make a canvas of clean rubble where creators can then build a better world.” In the quest for attaining freedom, V decides that he must overthrow the tyranny that existed in the form of the oppression that the people were facing. He was justified in bombing and attacking the place because the people that he ended up killing, namely, Adam J, Susan, Delia and Surridge were people who had committed heinous crimes in the past and had led to the destruction that persisted in the scenario at the time. In this case thus, violence has been justified to be done for a moral cause because someone had to make an attempt to overthrow the people who had been causing social chaos. Violence sometimes does allow for social change to enter because it is the only efficient tool that can be used to stop other forms of violence from happening. As seen in the past however, leaders in modern day reality, like Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi, preached the use of non violence to resist oppression taking place however, in some cases, violence is required in order to make a section of society have their voices heard by the majority. When a person or group of people are being violent unnecessarily, then it is important to take steps, even if they might be violent ones, to stop them in order to re-establish social order within society. Violence can sometimes be used as a depiction of strength and ability; in the movie for example, there are a number of scenes where V is shown showing off his muscle power as he takes on a number of people and kills them just to be able to show the audience that he is made of steel on the inside. Despite this however, the vengeance that builds up inside V shifts him from his ultimate goal which was to condemn the existing form of oppression through revenge solely for the purpose of social justice. In one of the main scenes of the movie, V is seeing addressing the people of London and telling them about the horrifying reign of power that existed at the time. He tries to instigate the people by making them understand that the rule was not required and that it needed to be overthrown so that proper order could be established within society. He says, “Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isnt there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Whos to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if youre looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid.” (V for Vendetta, Film Quote) By saying the above dialogue, V tries to incite the people and instil in them the thirst for revenge against the dictatorship of Adam Sutler, who has been portrayed to have committed the wrongdoings of Adolf Hitler in a modern concept. In history as well, it may be seen that a number of social changes have taken place within society, only by inciting the people against the dictatorship or tyrannical rule established by authoritative leaders. In the recent past, Muammar Gaddafi, the oppressive ruler of Libya was taken down by a revolution started by the people. He was killed in a crossfire which took place only because of the violent means that he had used against the people. Reporters stated that Gaddafi was killed with a ‘taste of his own sword’. Leaders like Hitler and Mussolini died because the people revolted against them. The violence that was carried out during their reigns of terror as well was an arch of social change because people knew that it was only violence that would help them to have their voices heard by the government as well as the rest of the world. Sometimes, violence is the only key to having a person listen to another and giving in to the other’s demands. (Posada, Tim) In conclusion, V for Vendetta helps the audience understand that violence may be used against the oppressive parts of society to make people understand that social change can sometimes be brought in only by creating chaos. An unnerving situation can sometimes bring about massive change because it might excite people against the wrongdoings that are being done towards them. Thus in the context of V, social change can after all be brought about by a massive violent attack in the name of revenge for a good cause. (Waites, Rosie) Works Cited Huck. "Stuff I Learned From Movies: V for Vendetta | Mancouch." MANCOUCH - Blogs about Stuff Guys like. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . Posada, Tim. "“V for Vendetta, Vengeance, or Violence”." OLD MEANINGLESS (archive). Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . Waites, Rosie. "V for Vendetta Masks: Whos behind Them?" BBC - Homepage. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . Read More