I think, like many adolescent male readers, the director fell into a bit of Rorschach hero-worship, and since Rorschach speculates at one point that Veidt may be homosexual, he took it as true. As I said, a shallow reading: unwillingness to compromise is mistaken for certitude.

Even with a lot of subtleties excised, it still ended up a smarter movie than most big blockbuster actioners. I'd say it's on par with The Dark Knight.