Villain or Valor? Voicing varied votes; vying for validation

Domenicus, myself and Alex (Dom's classmate) went through a trio of movies recently (not all on the same day). I brought "V for Vendetta", Alex hosted a veiwing of "Kill Bill", and Domenicus showed "Hot Fuzz". There were vying opinions and friendly debates following each of the screenings, usually ending with Alex and I at some sort of a dealock on some aesthetic or philosophical matter. Suprisingly, Domenicus took a diplomatically neutral stance.

I had heard enough about Kill Bill to keep me curious. There were some bits of the series that were clever, but I still don't see what the draw is--I certainly didn't "get it." A story of hot blooded revenge that I just couldn't warm up to.

Oddly enough, I thought that I would hate "V" for the same reason. The trailers for the movie were enough to turn me off. I happened to watch part of it at school once, and I found out that I was wrong to judge the proverbial book by its cover. I have seen it now 2 1/2 times, and would probably be up for seeing it again. (Warning, mild spoilers ahead)

The discussion following "V" focused on the not-so-subtle political and moral agenda that "V" was promoting. Alex and Domenicus were quite thorough and merciless in their philosophical dissection, revealing him as a consequentialist who justified murder, torture, and political agitation yet didn’t even have the courage to live in the world that he wanted to create. Evee was similarly dismissed for her sympathies and involvement in his plans. We also noticed the negative overtones in reference to Christianity, and sympathies toward the homosexual minorities.

Yet…I still like the movie. At the time, I couldn’t voice exactly what it was about “V” that impressed me. I certainly don’t dispute any of the points given above. They are quite solidly reasoned. (These same points were not, however, so forcefully emphasized towards Kill Bill, and I found every character in that movie to be more despicable than “V”.)

I think that my affection for “V” bypasses his fundamental moral flaws and rests on his careful understanding of Drama and Truth. One quote: “a poet uses lies to tell the truth; a politician uses them to hide it.” V sees himself as the poet. And what is a poet? It is perhaps a poetic definition, but one could say that a poet strings together images to communicate his message.

This is exactly what V does. He organizes his drama, assigns each man his part, and even writes himself into the play—a tragic hero. He may not be a good moralist nor a good politician, but he is an astounding director. He’s got style, and he sees that his abilities as an artist can change the world.

I am a performer. I appreciate a well crafted show and give respect to a man who realizes the power of words and signs. V has his flaws, but certainly we should not refuse gold from Egypt.

Visions and voices of Vendetta verily vivified in video, inviting a revival of valorous voices: Viva “V”!