'V for Vendetta': A nice follow-up to 'The Matrix'

The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter lies with the person applying the labels.

So enter the slightly futuristic, dystropian world of V for Vendetta, where words get twisted for propaganda's sake, dissidents are tortured and the government is strictly O for Oppressive.

Warner Brothers Pictures 'V for Vendetta' B+ The verdict: A futuristic political thriller from the Wachowski team, a worthy follow-up to The Matrix. Director: James McTeigue Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt Run time: 132 minutes Release date: March 17, 2006 Rating: R for strong violence and some language. See showtimes Behind the scenes •  What's with the mask? •  Departures from the book •  Natalie Portman speaks out •  Other memorable Portman performances On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'V for Vendetta'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

If only a terrorist would come along and lead a revolt to rid the land of its corrupt, dictatorial rulers.

Meet V (Hugo Weaving), an anonymous swashbuckler who hides behind a smirking Guy Fawkes mask and prowls London like a Zorro wannabe, leaving behind his menacing "V" sign and knocking off offending officials with ferocious flair.

He even has a sidekick in comely Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), a television station gofer whose politically minded parents taught her to stand up against injustice. Having taken their own advice, however, they are now dead, but the seed of rebellion is planted in their tiny, plucky daughter.

V for Vendetta stems from the fevered, but fertile graphic novel brain of Alan Moore, whose From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have already been adapted into indifferent films. Apparently not an easy person to please, Moore has pulled his name from this movie, fuming about the liberties taken by screenwriters Andy and Larry Wachowski and debut director James McTeigue, who assisted the Wachowskis on their dizzying Matrix trilogy.

For starters, Vendetta was published in 1989 as a cautionary tale against England's conservative Iron Maiden Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, the Wachowskis have updated some of the political references, focusing their outrage on President Bush.

Despite Moore's general objections, Vendetta is so suspenseful, thought-provoking and edge-of-your-seat involving, he might as well simmer down and share the acclaim that is bound to greet this film from more than just the comic book crowd.

Filled with the V for Verbiage that fueled The Matrix films, this is a movie that cares about words, particularly their misuse for political purposes. As we learn, the United States has collapsed from waging war, which then spread to England. London is now suffering from disease, stringent curfews and an iron-fisted government. What those in power did not figure on was a vigilante like V, who dynamites Old Bailey courthouse on Guy Fawkes Day and declares his intention to turn Parliament to rubble a year later.

Evey joins his crusade, but in the film's most harrowing sequence, she is tossed into prison, shorn of her hair and tortured by unknown forces. Portman has a little trouble negotiating a consistent British accent and some of her dialogue is only slightly less wooden than what she had to say in Star Wars, but she gets the emotional torment right and her size is an asset as an unlikely heroine.

Matrix veteran Weaving — who replaced James Purefoy mid-shoot — handles the thankless role of the perpetually masked V with a flashy physicality. John Hurt is deliciously malevolent as the Big Brother-like Chancellor, Stephen Rea and Rupert Graves play a couple of one-step-behind detectives and Stephen Fry has a few good comic moments as a puckish talk show host.

Director McTeigue is a worthy Wachowski disciple who follows blueprints well. It is hard not to see the stylistic and thematic links between V for Vendetta and The Matrix. And if this new mind-bender puts revolution in a few moviegoers' heads, so be it.