“V for Vendetta” is a dark political thriller that just happens to be based on a graphic novel with a script written by the Wachowski Brothers, who made “The Matrix” trilogy.

But even with Wachowski protege James McTeigue directing and Hugo Weaving, aka Agent Smith, in the title role, “V for Vendetta” is nothing like “The Matrix.” There’s no slo-mo martial arts and no metaphysical mumbo-jumbo anywhere in the two-hour, 12-minute picture.

Instead, the story comes from the “1984” school of cautionary futuristic tales. Only in this one, at least one of the victims of the dictator running the country isn’t going to take it anymore.

The vengeful one is V (Weaving), a man who dons a Guy Fawkes mask in honor of the man who tried to blow up Parliament on Nov. 6, 1605. Brilliant and brutal, V is determined to carry through Fawkes’ plan a few centuries later — and even invites the citizens of London to join him when the explosion takes place.

But that’s getting ahead of the story, which is also part romance of a sort and part police procedural. The romance, for lack of a better term, is between V and Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), a young woman whom he rescues from the Fingermen, thuggish government security agents, when she’s on the streets after curfew.

Pulled into V’s world, Evey is both grateful and wary. But his brave political stand for individual rights and against the oppressive government works on her. When he conducts a little action at the state television network where she works, Evey gives him a hand when he needs it most, allowing him to escape, and a very tenuous relationship begins.

Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea) is trying to catch V before he can blow up Parliament. A party loyalist, Finch is also a doggedly determined cop, and what he finds during his investigation causes him to question the government for which he toils.

That government is headed by the villainous Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt). An ultra-conservative, Sutler has manipulated science and the public, convincing them to give up their rights in the name of national security (sound familiar?) and instituting the secret police, censorship and propaganda that are the lynchpins of dictatorship.

Conveying his order by giant video screen, Sutler is brilliantly evil. But even all his resources are no match for V, whose brilliance and viciousness are fueled by a drive for vengeance and freedom.

There’s plenty more wrapped up in the plot and characterization, but I’m not going to say much else. One of the joys of “V for Vendetta” is the way in which it spins together the story of V and Evey’s lives and how those stories contribute to their actions.

And there are plenty of actions. Any movie with a title “V for Vendetta” is likely to be pretty violent, and this one lives up to that. Assassinations, explosions, fires, fights and chases keep the picture moving from start to finish.

The film also has a highly stylistic look, starting with the fixed Guy Fawkes mask and cloak worn by V and extending through the sets and locations. Among the latter is the Shadow Gallery, V’s underground home crammed with “objectionable material” that the government would have otherwise locked away or destroyed.

But even with all its looks and action, “V for Vendetta” wouldn’t work without convincing characters and strong acting. Portman is superb, giving Evey a convincing transformation, and even though his face is never seen, Weaving’s voice and physical acting make V a sympathetic hero.

 Rea, at his hangdog best, provides the film’s moral center — as he becomes more convinced of the government’s evil doings, V’s vengeance seems more and more proper — and there’s no better dictator than Hurt.

“V for Vendetta” has an anti-authoritarianism, pro-individualism message that has echoed through stories for the last 60 or 70 years. But it has rarely been seen this forcefully in a film that’s going to draw a wide popular audience. There are messages for today in “V for Vendetta” — and some of them might sink in.

But it’s not a political diatribe. Instead, it is an entertaining, well-crafted film that’s among the best pictures yet based on comic books or graphic novels.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.

V for Vendetta

(4 stars)

Director: James McTeigue

Stars: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt

Rated: R for strong violence and some language.

Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

The Reel Story: A masked man, played by Weaving, seeks his revenge against the totalitarian government of a futuristic England, pulling Portman into his plot in this superb adaptation of the graphic novel.