Why anarchist thriller V for Vendetta is as relevant as ever 20 years after its release
Political dissent, societal control, a devastating virus: 20 years on, V for Vendetta looks less like a film than a prescient warning
This is the latest instalment in our From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries.
As a movie, V for Vendetta is far from perfect. But viewed today, 20 years after its cinema release, its existence feels nothing short of miraculous.
In the aftermath of 9/11, Hollywood studios were reluctant to make anything that could be considered politically incendiary. A few years later, however, films such as War of the Worlds (2005) and United 93 (2006) began to grapple with that terrible legacy.
All the same, making a film that valorised an anarchist who blows up buildings seemed unusually transgressive.
“When I received the script, I was just so shocked by the fact that a big Hollywood action movie could actually have substance and something provocative,” star Natalie Portman told the BBC. “I thought: ‘This is crazy, I want to do this!’”