ⓘ Details

Movie TitleV for Vendetta

Release DateMarch 17, 2006

TaglinePeople should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Runtime132 minutes / 2 hours 12 minutes

DirectorJames McTeigue

Screenplay Written ByLana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski

Based OnThe DC/Vertigo graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Is It a Remake?No. It is a feature-film adaptation of the graphic novel.

BudgetApproximately $50–54 million, depending on source

Box OfficeApprox. $134.7 million worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Natalie PortmanEvey Hammond

Hugo WeavingV

Stephen ReaChief Inspector Eric Finch

Stephen FryGordon Deitrich

John HurtHigh Chancellor Adam Sutler

Tim Pigott-SmithPeter Creedy

Rupert GravesDominic Stone

Roger AllamLewis Prothero

Ben MilesDascomb

Sinéad CusackDr. Delia Surridge

Natasha WightmanValerie

John StandingBishop Lilliman

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Natalie Portman won the Saturn Award for Best Actress for V for Vendetta.

⭐ The film received Saturn Award nominations including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Writing, and Best Costumes.

⭐ James McTeigue was nominated by the Chicago Film Critics Association for Most Promising Filmmaker.

⭐ No Academy Award nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ No Golden Globe nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ Its lasting recognition is tied more to cult popularity, political symbolism, and the cultural spread of the Guy Fawkes mask than to major awards-season dominance.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

In a near-future Britain ruled by the fascist Norsefire regime, a young woman named Evey Hammond is rescued by a masked revolutionary known only as V. After V destroys the Old Bailey and calls on the people to rise one year later on the Fifth of November, Inspector Finch begins uncovering the government conspiracy that created both V and the climate of fear keeping the country obedient. As Evey is pulled deeper into V’s mission, the film becomes a story about revenge, resistance, identity, and whether an idea can outlive the person carrying it.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Remember, remember the Fifth of November.” — V

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” — V

“Ideas are bulletproof.” — V

“Beneath this mask there is more than flesh.” — V

“There are no coincidences, Delia. Only the illusion of coincidence.” — V

“Artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.” — Evey Hammond

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💡 Trivia

Director

V for Vendetta was directed by James McTeigue.
The film marked McTeigue’s feature directorial debut.
The screenplay was written by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, credited at the time as The Wachowski Brothers.
McTeigue had previously worked as an assistant director on major productions including the Wachowskis’ Matrix films.
The film uses a dystopian thriller framework to explore authoritarianism, surveillance, propaganda, fear, and political resistance.

Cast / Casting

Natalie Portman stars as Evey Hammond and received top billing.
Hugo Weaving plays V, performing behind the Guy Fawkes mask throughout the film.
James Purefoy was originally cast as V but left during production; Hugo Weaving replaced him and re-recorded V’s dialogue.
John Hurt plays High Chancellor Adam Sutler; Hurt had previously played Winston Smith in the 1984 film adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Natalie Portman worked with a dialect coach to perform with an English accent.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Dario Marianelli.
The soundtrack album was released by Astralwerks in March 2006.
The film prominently uses Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture during explosive revolutionary set pieces.
IMDb’s soundtrack listing includes “Cry Me a River,” “I Found a Reason,” and “Bird Gerhl.”
The music contrasts classical grandeur, jukebox nostalgia, and revolutionary spectacle to support the film’s theatrical tone.

Location

The story is set in a near-future version of Britain under the Norsefire regime.
Production took place in the United Kingdom and Germany, including work at Studio Babelsberg.
The film’s London imagery includes landmarks such as the Old Bailey, Parliament, Big Ben, and Whitehall.
For the climactic Westminster material, filmmakers secured rare nighttime access around Whitehall and Parliament after months of negotiation.
The London setting is central to the movie’s use of Guy Fawkes imagery and the historical memory of the Gunpowder Plot.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Lana Wachowski, and Lilly Wachowski.
Adrian Biddle served as cinematographer; V for Vendetta was his final film.
Because V’s mask could muffle speech, Hugo Weaving’s dialogue was re-recorded in post-production.
The film was originally connected to a November 2005 release window but opened widely in March 2006.
Alan Moore asked not to be credited for the film adaptation and distanced himself from the project.

Nostalgia

V for Vendetta became one of the defining comic-book adaptations of the mid-2000s that did not follow a traditional superhero formula.
The Guy Fawkes mask from the film later became a widely recognized symbol in protest culture.
The film’s Fifth of November imagery helped make the line “Remember, remember” familiar to a generation of movie fans outside the United Kingdom.
Its combination of comic-book mythology, political thriller energy, and Wachowski-style philosophy gives it a very specific 2000s genre identity.
For fans, it remains the rare action movie where blowing up a building comes with a vocabulary lesson, a classical music cue, and a full revolutionary thesis statement.

Easter Eggs

The title and central symbol come from Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
V’s theatrical personality and revenge mission echo elements of The Count of Monte Cristo, which appears inside the film as one of his treasured movies.
Several names and references nod back to the Gunpowder Plot and British political history.
The repeated “V” motif appears in dialogue, imagery, symbols, and even the Roman numeral for five.
The film’s mask design draws from David Lloyd’s artwork for the original graphic novel.

Misc.

V for Vendetta is rated R by the MPAA.
BBFC classified the film 15 for cinema release and lists the runtime as 133 minutes 23 seconds.
AFI lists the film’s duration as 132 minutes.
Box Office Mojo lists worldwide box office at approximately $134.7 million.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 162, with Don rating it 3.25, Ken rating it 4.00, Jon rating it 4.75, and an overall rating of 4.00.

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