Brazil - Python’s take on 1984

If you don’t know, the slightly weirdly-titled ‘Brazil’ is a science fiction film, directed by one of the Monty Python team. It’s also about a dystopian future, not to dissimilar to the one that George Orwell showed us in his book, '1984.' Therefore, if you’re familiar with either or both Gilliam and '1984,' you should have a shrewd idea about how they would mix.

'Brazil' isn’t as light (or 'madcap') as other Python films; it’s more dark, disturbing and surreal. If you’ve seen Gilliam’s other cult masterpiece ‘Time Bandits,’ it has a similar feel to it (plus the weird beginning part of 'Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life' featuring the 'Crimson Permanent Insurance' would also fit in with 'Brazil' in terms of style and feel).

Jonathan Pryce plays Sam Lowry, your typical ‘everyman’ who gets caught up in the borderline fascist world of the future which we see depicted in 'Brazil.' He's not your average hero, he’s weedy, scared, yet relatable as he dreams of being something more than just another guy who processes paperwork all day. When he’s not shoving receipts into pods and sending them on their way, he’s fantasising about being a winged angle-type creature who can fly through the sky and escape the world he lives in.

'Brazil' is part sci-fi, a little bit (Python) comedy and a lot social satire on what life may be like if society follows its current path of needless paperwork and pointless form-filling.

If you’re a fan of Gilliam’s other work (mainly 'Time Bandits,' but possibly '12 Monkeys' as well), social satire, sci-fi, or the offshoots of Python in general, you should enjoy 'Brazil.' However, it’s not entirely without fault. The leading lady is a little bit bland and has no cinematic presence whatsoever. However, she doesn’t really come into until the second half, so she doesn’t detract from the film too much. Plus it does seem to drag in places, but only here and there.'Brazil' is probably one of those rare epic films that might actually benefit from having its runtime reduced, meaning some of the scenes end up a little shorter. But, if worse comes to the worst, you can always skip those bits and simply enjoy seeing Robert DeNiro as a ‘renegade heating engineer’ – only in Python!

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather