Twenty-three years ago, Terry Gilliam imagined a world run by bureaucracy and personal appearances. Now flip through your TV stations; anything look familiar?

As one of Gilliam’s masterpieces, “Brazil” sings true to what society is so close to becoming today. While there are no brutal killing scenes or gruesome blood battles, there are enough themes to make you rethink society and how far it has come from a 1985 thriller.

The movie starts off with a case of mistaken identity of a man named Harry Buttle. The man the government is really looking for is Archibald “Harry” Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Tuttle, who is labeled a terrorist, runs around like a handyman ninja doing good deeds for people, like fixing main character Sam Lowry’s (Jonathan Pryce) heating system. This is looked down upon by the bureaucratic government because everything has to go through a certain order. Lowry, who is battling a promotion in the government job he hates, becomes entwined in the plot when he realizes the mistaken arrest and tries to right the wrong before it’s too late and Buttle is killed.

Throughout the film, Lowry has the reoccurring dream that he’s a superhero that can fight crime and fly away with the woman of his dreams. Lowry ends up running into the woman, Jill Layton (Kim Greist) in his real life, and both end up being caught by the government. An escape is planned, but was it all for nothing?

The first time you watch “Brazil,” be prepared to be genuinely confused. Even after multiple viewings, you’ll still be noticing background scenes and hearing lines that you didn’t catch the first few times around. The director’s cut will run about 10 minutes longer than the UK version, which is about 40 minutes longer than the US version. The UK version, which is the most viewed, will give you the best explanation of what’s really going on with Lowry, Layton and Tuttle.

Not only should this movie be viewed, it should be owned. Be prepared: Not only is this film British, it is done by the “American Python” from Monty Python group. Some jokes may not be obvious, and everyone will seem just a little odd, but once you allow yourself to get sucked into the greatness “Brazil” has to offer, you will be hooked — and slightly paranoid.

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