ore like A for Ambition. The Wachowski brothers’ razor-sharp adaptation of Alan Moore's cherished-graphic novel 'V for Vendetta' is set in a post-apocalyptic England run by a crazed dictator named Sutler. With London existing under a dictatorship, the public has been conditioned to live in a state of fear - there are bombs on trains, killer viruses, extremist threats... - and civil rights for citizens have virtually disappeared.

Yet, there's one man in London who hasn't gotten on the Sutler track, and still fighting back. Known as V (Hugo Weaving), he wears a long black cloak, a high-peaked hat and a theatrical mask with a disturbingly inflexible grin (he was brutally scarred in the experiments years earlier). V is out to bomb historical targets in the now-locked-down London, encouraging the citizens to react.

Natalie Portman co-stars, attempting an English accent as Evey, a wide-eyed young assistant at the Government-run TV channel, who makes the mistake of being out after curfew. With surveillance cameras everywhere, Evey is linked to an “attack,” and the police, led by Chief Inspector Finch (Rea), come looking for her - with a lot more than law and order on their minds.

Fortunately for her, V is there to rescue her. He takes her on a rooftop to witness the destruction of the Houses of Parliament - complete with fireworks. He takes her under his wing, as he continues his strategy of governmental destruction. He sweeps Evey away to his lair and shows her his Shadow Gallery, where he keeps forbidden artifacts - such as the Koran. What he feels for the girl alters the formula of his designs to seek retribution as a tribute of Guy Fawkes who, on a day in 1605 was caught trying to engineer a rebellion with 36 barrels of gunpowder under the parliament building, and was strung up for treason.