729. BRAZIL (1985)

Running Time: 143 minutes
Directed By: Terry Gilliam
Written By: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, Tom Stoppard
Main Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
Click here to view the trailer

THE BUTTLE-TUTTLE CONUNDRUM

With three films to go before the "Levinson Week" festivities begin, today I continue on with my 1980s filled season and the watching of Terry Gilliam's 1985 work, "Brazil".

We're not exactly sure when "Brazil" takes place, but we're told that it's "sometime in the 20th century", which I guess makes it a film about the past now. The movie stars Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry, a government employee, who has recurring dreams about a fair haired maiden and his rescuing of her, although the maiden is a stranger to him. The film really begins with an error, as government officials set out to seize Archibald Tuttle, but instead arrest Archibald Buttle. While being questioned, Mr. Buttle, surrendering to his heart condition, dies and all of a sudden the government have a problem on their hands. It also seems that Buttle was overcharged during the course of his arrest and that his widow, the distraught Mrs. Buttle, is due a refund check. Sam, realizing that the Buttle's do not have a bank account, drives to the Buttle residence to present Mrs. Buttle with the check. While there, Sam meets the fair haired maiden he's been having recurring dreams about and discovers that her name is Jill Layton (Greist), but she gets away before he can confront her. Sam makes it his obsession to track down Jill and profess his love to her, but instead he must really save her, because she's a suspected terrorist. Meanwhile, Sam also meets Mr. Tuttle (De Niro), the man who should've been arrested in Mr. Buttle's place and a freelance heating and cooling expert.

Wow, I can't believe I was able to type out the plot synopsis of "Brazil" without spilling into an over-sized, double paragraph. What I've written actually makes it sound fairly easy to follow and really it is, there's just a lot facets and elements to it. This movie was a whole lot of fun and to my surprise, I loved it! Sure, sci-fi has always been my least favorite genre, but as long as you give me a followable, decent story, you can throw as many futuristic ideas at me as you wish. What's not to like here? You've got a fantastic cast, that includes an amazing Jonathan Pryce (and after looking at his filmography, I realize that he's never really been a primary cast member in anything I've seen), a low-key Robert De Niro (barely in the movie, so De Niro fans beware) and great performances from supporting players like Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent and Michael Palin (the latter of which is becoming one of my favorites, after his performance here and in "A Fish Called Wanda").

But why did I really like "Brazil"? Because it is simply a near perfect mixture of so many genres and elements. You've got sci-fi, of course, but you've also got a lot of comedy. The comedy never dominates the sci-fi element and vice versa, but instead they blend kind of perfectly. You've also got elements of film-noir (certain government officials in fedora's, lurking in the shadows), you've got plenty of fantasy (the beautiful dream sequences with Sam and Jill) and plenty of action and mystery. If you tie all that up with a twist ending, then you've got the recipe for a great movie. Damn, listen to me, that sounds like something you'd read on the back of a DVD case. Listen, you're going to have to bear with me for these final twenty or so movies, because at this stage in the season, my review writing skills are really burnt out. Lets just suffice it to say that I think the surprise of actually taking to this one plays a big part in why I'm gushing about it now. I read the Netflix slip cover to my wife, prior to watching this and told her and I quote "this movie really sounds like a pile of garbage...here goes nothing". All I ever ask for in my movies is a good story and with "Brazil" you get that and then some. Don't just give me ideas, don't just give me social and political commentaries, give me something that a man can get lost in. "Brazil" delivers, big time!

RATING: 8/10  For the curious, this is even better than "12 Monkeys", a movie that currently sits on my DVD shelf, but one that I re-watched recently and liked a lot less. You can check out my "12 Monkeys" DVD review here.

MOVIES WATCHED: 578
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 423

November 15, 2012  2:04pm