The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

There are those who have a deep desire to see beauty and even be part of it. There are also those who are on moral quests. There are people who are excited by the imaginative. If this is you this movie may turn out to be a favorite of yours. The movie is not a retelling of the Don Quixote novel. It's a variation on the themes, the landscapes, the yearnings and other ingredients in the original Spanish source (Cervantes). Universal ideas and conflicts from it are reworked and put in different contexts. Gilliam's best for a long time? We'll see. I would say that it's loftier than he's gone before (but with some low comic touches for sure). There are many storyline twists in 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.' In addition, the movie business is satirized (sometimes with a feather, sometimes with a hammer). As for the locations: Gilliam has chosen them with great care; the cinematography does not let his gorgeous choices down. The directing, acting and music are superb. To date, (for me anyway) these are the most memorable film performances by Jonathan Pryce, Adam Driver, and some others in the cast. Pryce is eloquent but above all touching; Driver is perfect as the freaked-out guy who needs to escape the mess. Other characters/actors give me the creeps or fill me with praise for their spot-on nasty or nice performances.

Fmovies: This is probably the best movie you will never see. Terry Gilliam's Magnum Opus, Great White Whale, Impossible Dream is beautiful, imaginative, and for Gilliam, amazingly restrained, while still having the hallmark surrealism, whimsy, playfulness and sorrow. We were fortunate to see it in an actual theater, which I suspect will be a rare thing since it is in extremely limited distribution. Litigation, bad luck and disaster has plagued the film from decades before the first scene was filmed. I am so glad it is finished and Gilliam can go after his next obsession.

Conclusion? See it if you can. Don't read reviews from people who don't understand the fantastical. Prepare to tilt at some windmills.

Totally bonkers, dreamlike, vintage Gilliam and in the end even Lynchian weird. When it works it's brilliant, when it doesn't, it's baffling and sometimes boring. But even when the script doesn't work, the movie is saved by the incredible cast. It's among both Adam Driver's and Jonathan Pryce best work. Also, I'm in love with Joana Ribeiro.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote fmovies. Absolutely brilliant: story, sets, actors - flawless each one of them. Thank you for this gem! "When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams - this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness - and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!" Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote

It's interesting to say the least. At first it might seem to be heading in a quite weird direction and be somewhat crazy, but then you'll understand it is going in a great direction and it's totally crazy! Maintains the themes of magic, illusionment and disillusionment very well and has that great sense of humor only Gilliam seems to manage. Jonathan Pryce is amazing as the Don! Wonderful movie!

Gilliam's passion project sums up much of his filmography: it conveys almost all of the director's rs recurring tropes, themes and elements. It isn't an easy-to-enjoy film (mostly due to Gilliam's style), nonetheless an interesting film to watch, if not for else, because of its cursed fame.

Don Quixote is mainly about human madness, a theme Gilliam also explored in 'The Fisher King' and in 'Twelve Monkeys', two films from the time when the director started developing this movie. As for visuals, style, and the overwhelming sense of chaos that the third act conveys, it reminds of 'The Brothers Grimm' and more in particular of 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus', (coincidentally two films that also had, on lower scale, a troubled production). 'The Zero Theorem' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' are the only Gilliam films I found to be devoid of any direct connection with Don Quixote.

Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce pull off memorable performances. I was pretty sure about Pryce succeeding, but didn't expect Driver to be this good, especially towards the end.

Frankly, I think this film was a bit underrated. It's true that Gilliam's post-'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' generally had little critical acclaim, but I personally couldn't find anything to complain about, or better, I couldn't find anything arguable that isn't a recurring element in Gilliam's cinema: a chaotic third act, a bittersweet ending, and so on. I enjoyed watching Don Quixote, but I can imagine most of the viewers to find it either uninteresting, dull, chaotic or 'pretentious'.

Don Quixote might be Gilliam's last film. With 'The Zero Theorem' he closed his dystopia Sci-fi trilogy, now he has finally finished the film he probably was most eager to complete, so it seems to me that there are no narratives left that he intends to explore. Let's just hope that I am wrong, and Gilliam will be doing another half-dozen of movies, but otherwise, Don Quixote is the perfect conclusive film for his career. Maybe it's not his best or easier to appreciate, but definitely it is his most representative one.