The new Wachowski brothers movie, V for Vendetta, appeared in theaters this weekend, but it is not just the big budget action film it appeared to be. The pageant unfurls in a futuristic England dominated by a hyper-religious ‘High Chancellor’ who has crushed freedom to maintain ‘order.’ This stylized repressive government has also banned homosexuality, expunged all foreigners, and made owning a Koran a crime punishable by death. Against this tyranny comes ‘V,’ a caped vigilante and former victim of Nazi-like government torture.

The movie, which is based on a comic book series released between 1982 and 1985, has already been labeled by some as a fairly ‘obvious’ attack on the Bush administration. Several references to a deleterious American war appear throughout the film as does apparent video footage from Iraq. Others believe the ‘High Chancellor’ is a none-too-flattering caricature of Bush himself. Is the movie industry offering us a bleak image of the future if things continue on the same track, or is ‘V’ a film-industry snipe at Bush bereft of subtlety?