The Wachowski brothers have been flirting with top-notch success for a while now. Their first film, Bound, a riveting film noir with a lesbian twist, showed a sure sense of violent style, and the three Matrix films were cases of style over substance. V for Vendetta proves that if you have enough talent, you can have your cake and eat it, too, for it has style and substance to burn. This film has the kinetic energy of The Matrix trilogy, tempered with the intelligence of Gattaca. It is also 1984 come to life in a different time. Along the way, it borrows from Phantom of the Opera, The Man in the Iron Mask, Batman, A Clockwork Orange, and others, while keeping its distinct identity.

The film is set in a future that we are led to believe is not too distant. The US has become a third-world nation ravaged by disease and civil war. England is now the world power, run by a fascistic government headed by a ruthless Chancellor, played with nasty conviction by John Hurt. (Hurt, who here is reminiscent of Orwell’s Big Brother, his face glowering from video walls, played Winston Smith in the 1984 version of 1984.)

The Chancellor did not achieve his position by doing good deeds, and V (Hugo Weaving), a masked malcontent, is out to prove that the ruler and his government are responsible for 100,000 deaths. His credo is that citizens should not fear their leaders -- it should be the other way around. V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) on the very night he sets in motion a yearlong plan to overthrow the government and return power to the people. V wears a mask to disguise himself as Guy Fawkes, the 17th-century British insurrectionist. A rumpled and worn detective (Stephen Rea) seeks to discover V’s identity and ends up facing his own fears and doubts about what he’s doing.

V’s mask is immobile -- the lips never move. Weaving plays the role as mime and voiceover. Most of the heavy acting is turned over to Natalie Portman, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Evey, who must morph from a wide-eyed innocent into a savvy, cause-driven terrorist. Rea is sensitive and sympathetic as a world-weary sleuth duped by his government. The supporting cast is ideal, and both source music and Dario Marianelli’s composed score are impeccable.

The Matrix films were noted for their special effects, and V for Vendetta has plenty of those, too. The fight scenes are thrilling and the explosions spectacular, but unlike The Matrix, V for Vendetta dispenses good drama along with the effects. Comparing its literate script to other similar films, it is hard to believe that it is an adaptation of a graphic novel. V’s speeches are eloquent and fraught with multilayered meaning. James McTeigue’s direction of both the dramatic and the fight scenes is right on the mark. There are a few moments where the editing lacks continuity. Perhaps these will be corrected with extra footage when the DVD version comes out. But this is one film that must be seen on the big screen, so be sure to visit your local multiplex soon. Futuristic films of this quality are rare, especially ones that double as pulse-pounding drama. As for the Wachowski brothers: they’ve arrived.

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