"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."

With the above words did The Gunpowder Treason & Plot come to mind once again. Though I could claim of having  a passing knowledge of the original plot back in 1605, thruth be told I easily summarised the matter as that of an English bloke who tried to blow up the House of Parliment – tried but failed.

However yesterday as i sat there in the theater watching the latest Wachowski brothers silver screen adaption V for Vendetta, i was once again reminded of the imfamous plot. Now the Wachowski (of The Matrix trilogy fame) being the Wachowski, they once again succesfully opened my mind to a different perception – specifically to that of both V and his embodyment of the eternal Guy Fawkes.

Now after watching the movie and based on it’s slick and non too subtle storeyline, I can’t help but re-think my earlier opinion. Here we have a man, branded a terrorist no less, who through his action only wanted to bring to light the problem that was the goverment. Now though i’m not condoning any such terror actis – I have to say that history has marked many a time that great changes has been wrought by great act.

Early on in the movie we’re told to hold the idea in higher esteem that the man behind the mask. Yet the undenieable thruth is that the very masked man was the core of the idea. He was the one who noticed that thing were bad and that there was something wrong witht the goverment. He was the one man who was willing to stand up for what he believed in. He was the one to started the ball rolling.

However, counterpoint to that would be that no one man(or woman) can change the course of a nation. It’s takes the many… the people to do that. So the perception that the idea lauded by V, i.e. that people shouldn’t be afraid of their goverments, but goverment should be afraid of their people, is indeed very apealing.

Finally I come to the question that has made me think. Will my fair country one day reach the similar level or equivalent to that of depictured in the movie?
If so, what can I do or for that matter what can anyone do?

For now all I can say is go and watch the movie. If you come out of the theather having been moved and rethinking your position, then I would say that some good has come out of it. Hoewver if you do step out of the hall without any change in your precepts, then by all means go ahead and comment on how good the acting was, how fantastic the actions was and how that it was worth you RM 10. And after all that you can go back home, get into bed to sleep and when tommorow dawns chances are you’ve alredyforgetten about it all .