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Remember, remember the 5th of November

On November 5th in 1605, Guy Fawkes conspired what came to be known as the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up Westminster Palace and kill King James I in the process. His plan was however thwarted and he was executed for treason and attempted murder. Now, in the not too distant future a lone vigilante with codename V (Hugo Weaving) and constantly hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask, cruises the streets of London, fighting a totalitarian government. Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) rules the country with an iron fist, oppressing its citizens with curfews and maintaining a constant state of fear. When young Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) gets apprehended after hours stiletto-toting V saves her from being raped by the chancellor’s men. V explains Evey his scheme for destroying Sutler and his fascist regime and finds himself a new ally in an impossible war for freedom.

From the masterminds behind the Matrix trilogy comes this adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel by the same name. Interestingly though, Moore who wrote Vendetta as a reaction to Thatcher’s rule over Britain has declined any affiliation with this movie. His reaction, although understandable (because both The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell, two other adaptations of Moore’s graphic novels, were seriously flawed) was also premature. The Wachowski’s version of V for Vendetta, alluding to today’s fears of corruption, conspiracy and terrorism and put into a post 9/11 political context, is as relevant as was Moore’s original vision twenty years earlier. From a technical point of view the Wachowski brothers’ screenplay is rock solid and often reminiscent of their original sci-fi hit The Matrix. Even though the trailer might fool the audience into thinking of Vendetta as an action movie, it is certainly not. Full of poetic and alliterative monologues as well as philosophical discussions, the slow-mo fights are given relatively little screen time, making this more than your average comic book adaptation. First-time director James McTeigue offers us an uncompromising vision of the future that looks and plays out remarkably well. V for veritably impressive. (3.5 out of 4 bonfires)

V for Vendetta is rated R. It makes you question things.

Wrong Time. Wrong Place. Wrong Number.

When Slevin (Josh Hartnett) arrives in New York to visit his friend Nick, he only finds an empty apartment. Pretty soon, goons of the city’s two biggest crime bosses come knocking on Slevin’s door, stating that they have unfinished business. While Slevin tries to explain this case of mistaken identity he finds himself dragged and blackmailed into a murderous scheme between the rivaling mobsters. It looks like Nick had debts towards ‘The Boss’ (Morgan Freeman) as well as ‘The Rabbi’ (Sir Ben Kinglsey) and they now use Slevin in order to eliminate the competition. When you think it couldn’t get any weirder the mysterious Mr. Goodcat (Bruce Willis) shows up at both of the mobsters lairs and appears to have been pulling the strings from the get go. Entangled in this web of sex, lies and murders (no videotape, though) is Slevin who tries to get away with the girl (Lucy Liu) and a broken nose.

Pretty much out of nowhere came this production sporting an incredibly a-list heavy cast as well as an incredibly lame title. Don’t worry though because once you’ve seen the movie, the title begins to make sense but it still remains one of the worst puns we have seen in a while. Apart from that, Lucky Number Slevin is an enjoyable ride that takes us through a cliché-ridden film noir landscape. The movie owns a lot to its excellent cast who deliver the often minimalist dialogues in perfection. Visually, the movie is a feast (and not only if you like the company of men). From a 70’s set piece in the beginning to the hits and kills taking place throughout the movie it looks incredibly old-school (and that is good thing, in case you were wondering). The violence seems to be toned down a bit for rating reasons but Slevin works perfectly well without the gut-churning violence of say Casino. The disappointment comes however with the movie’s conclusion. It thinks it’s smart and that is never a good thing. Oh, and you can see it coming. In a New York minute. (2 out of 4 Kansas City Shovels)

Lucky Number Slevin is rated R. People die.