In the late 18th Century a vigilante, intent on disrupting the English government, tries to blow up a major landmark. Foiled in his plans he is later hanged. Fast forward to today. England is now being influenced by a Pat Robertson type talk show host who declares America God-less and calls for the English to get some payback for that darn tea party. The country is also under a strict 11:00 curfew, which causes some trouble for EeVee (Portman), who is caught outside one night a few minutes after eleven. Realizing that the curfew enforcers are interested in more then just enforcing the rules, EeVee begins screaming, drawing the attention of a masked man in black. No, it's not Zorro. After rescuing EeVee, the mystery man begins to spout lyrically about his mission, which seems to be to fight tyranny while waxing poetically. I said it's not Zorro. He introduces himself as "V," which, film title not withstanding, stands for Vengeance. He then uses his sword to carve a large V in the wall. OK, maybe he knows Zorro.

Adapted from a popular graphic novel, "V for Vendetta" is an action film that is missing one thing: action! Which is a shame because director McTeague, making his feature film debut, worked as the first assistant director under the Wachowski brothers on the three "Matrix" films. In fact, Larry and Andy Wachowski wrote the script and produced the film, so it's almost a shock that the film drags. The actors do a good job, with Weaving standing out. It had to be hard delivering his lines with an oversized mask covering his face. Portman, now free from the "Star Wars" galaxy, is also strong. Supporting work by Rae, Hurt and the very underused Fry is also stellar. Too bad they all aren't in a better film. Fans looking for action and blood shed should plan on getting to the theatre about two hours after showtime. At one point, followers of V show up en masse, each wearing the same giant mask. I'm thinking the message is that there's a little V in everyone. Unfortunately,on screen there's only a lot of Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

On a scale of zero to four stars, I give "V for Vendetta"