‘V for Vendetta’ at 20: Director James McTeigue Isn’t Surprised the Film Feels Like It Was Made Yesterday

James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta plays like it was ripped from yesterday’s headlines, not just those of twenty years ago. It’s a reminder of why the adage of “history repeats itself” is so prevalent.

Of course, the efforts of Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) and the Guy Fawkes-masked vigilante known as V (Hugo Weaving) to dismantle the totalitarian police state in a near-future United Kingdom were actually based on Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s serialized graphic novel from the 1980s. Thus, the historical echoes go well beyond the film’s creative springboard of the 2000s, specifically the Bush-Cheney administration.

As a student of history, McTeigue remains unsurprised by the relevance of his feature directorial debut.

“We just keep falling into the same political cycles, and that’s what makes the film timeless in a way. People can just look around and see that the parallels in the…