Brazil

Play trailer

Brazil

R

1985

2h 22m

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro), he meets the woman from his daydream (Kim Greist), and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Brazil, Terry Gilliam's visionary Orwellian fantasy, is an audacious dark comedy, filled with strange, imaginative visuals.

Read Critics Reviews

Chris Cabin

Slant Magazine

Jun 10, 2025

Through its wildly comic, furiously creative, and intensely moving facade, Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film Brazil ponders a future made to sustain a draconian past molded by inequality.

Go to Full Review

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Jan 3, 2018

It's like a stoned, slapstick 1984: a nightmare comedy in which the comedy is just an aspect of the nightmarishness.

Go to Full Review

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Mar 12, 2011

[A] darkly funny and truly visionary retro-futurist fantasy.

Go to Full Review

John Dodd

Edmonton Journal

Apr 15, 2026

3.5/4

In its scope and imagination and bizarre, twisted humor it goes beyond anything Monty Python ever did. While the movie is certainly not to everyone's taste, it is something of a comic masterpiece, a movie for mature (and therefore warped) sensibilities.

Go to Full Review

Michael Walsh

The Province (Vancouver)

Apr 14, 2026

Brazil's "black" humor is actually multihued, a dazzling performance from which Gilliam emerges as the James Joyce of filmdom. Far better than any of the official Oscar nominees, his picture is as immediate as the latest headline outrage.

Go to Full Review

Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

Jan 13, 2026

A new 4K restoration director’s cut reminds us that the film’s satirical depiction of everyday life in a dysfunctional dystopia remains powerfully prescient, not to mention stunningly imaginative, forty years after its original theatrical release.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Robert P

@Superbad 2 days ago

I just love this movie, nothing really makes sense!

See more

Chris T

@EdDantes34 3 days ago

Masterpiece!!! 10/10

See more

Fernando M

@RT76471198 Jun 24, 2026

The first time I watched Brazil, it was recommended by a friend who doesn’t have the slightest idea about cinema, directors, or any of that. Yet, in my ranking, it’s among the three best films I’ve ever seen. Gilliam creates, from scratch, a retro-futuristic atmosphere with a pessimistic, totalitarian style. I think Helpmann might be my favorite character. "Beginner’s luck," "Bad losers," and lines like that, delivered with such a complete disconnect from reality, simply drive me crazy. The production design and sets are absolutely mesmerizing. De Niro’s Harry Tuttle vanishing before the machinery of bureaucracy, Bob Hoskins as the quintessential loser, Sam’s cynical mother… I’ve seen this film countless times, and I’m sure I’ll see it countless times more. Why 4½ tomatoes instead of 5? Because I would’ve loved a prequel about Helpmann and Sam’s father, supposedly old friends. And because, for someone like me, handing out 5 tomatoes doesn’t come easy. Simple as that.

See more

Ben W

@Username618 Apr 25, 2026

Did nothing for me, honestly.

See more

André Ferreira F

@andre_f Mar 21, 2026

Um pouco difícil de perceber. Requer a atenção total do espectador. As atuações são ótimas e o mundo que o Terry Gilliam cria é fenomenal. Talvez o filme peca por ser "demasiado curto": merecia uma maior exploração deste universo. (avaliação: 7.5/10)

See more

Cecilia T

@CBCB2000 Feb 16, 2026

A masterpiece, from acting to soundtrack, script, costumes and settings. Entertaining throughout and ironic at times. Even if dated (1985), still a great watch for any kind of evening. Cherry on top is the great post punk / steampunk aesthetics

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Terry Gilliam

Director

Jonathan Pryce

Sam Lowry

Robert De Niro

Archibald "Harry" Tuttle

Katherine Helmond

Mrs. Ida Lowry

Ian Holm

Mr. M. Kurtzmann

Bob Hoskins

Spoor

Brazil: Official Clip - Sam Is Captured

2:58

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - I Love You

3:00

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - The Moving Desk

2:58

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - Plastic Surgery

1:50

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - My Complication Had a Little Complication

1:35

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - Harry Wastes Central Services

2:17

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - Trust Me!

2:27

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - Harry Tuttle, Heating Engineer

2:08

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - A Receipt for Your Husband

2:37

Now Playing

Brazil: Official Clip - Central Services Pays a Visit

1:46

Now Playing

View more videos

The Lonely Guy

50%

47%

The Lonely Guy

Watchlist

D.C. Cab

18%

52%

D.C. Cab

Watchlist

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

78%

80%

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Mad Dog and Glory

79%

45%

Mad Dog and Glory

Watchlist

Frankenhooker

61%

59%

Frankenhooker

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

14 Under-the-Radar Films Featuring Game of Thrones Stars

Liev Schreiber’s Five Favorite Films

View more photos

Synopsis

Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro), he meets the woman from his daydream (Kim Greist), and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.

Director: Terry Gilliam
Producer: Arnon Milchan
Screenwriter: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, Tom Stoppard
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 1985, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.7M
Runtime: 2h 22m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings