The fans of Monty Python, a long-running comedy sketch series from the United Kingdom, are some of the most devoted and loyal spectators ever imagined in the realm of television and film. Although I, myself, have only been a marginal fan, over the years, I was, still, quite pleased to be present at a simulcasted live show, in a movie theater, for the final stage performance of the comedy team.

As with any following, everyone has their personal favorites, whether it be a song or a scene or even a character or actor/writer. For me, the one that has stood out the most is Terry Gilliam. While he might not be considered the funniest, as an actor, he has certainly seen the greatest amount of exposure, as a director. Back in 1985, “Brazil” was released. Though it is, now, widely-considered a great, dark comedy under the tab of “cult classics,” at the time, it was not warmly-received. It is no big secret that Terry Gilliam has had more than his fair share of complications, while making movies.

The first thing that popped into my mind as I began to watch Gilliam’s latest offering: “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” was to expect the unexpected. No moment sooner, I watched a man, dressed in classic armor, go crashing into a low-hanging windmill. As it turned out, this occurrence would become something strangely important, much later into the movie. In any case, this was, also, not the actual film, but, rather, a film within the film. Instead of a fourth-wall break, the curtain is simply pulled back for the audience.

This brings me to our lead character, Tobi Grisoni, played by Adam Driver (“Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi”). Although his character description lists him as an advertising executive, he appeared, to me, to be the director of whatever movie he was involved in, which plays little to no importance in the actual story.

Alongside Grisoni, for the majority of the plot, is Don Quixote, otherwise known as Javier and played by Jonathan Pryce (“The Wife”). Without a doubt, he is the most interesting character in the film. He begins as a shoemaker, who was hired by Grisoni, to play Quixote in his student film, years prior to the present time of the movie. Somewhere along the way, Javier lost track of his real existence and swapped it for a delusion in which he is, actually, Don Quixote.

The rest of the cast is comprised of, but not limited to: Stellan Skarsgard (“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”) as The Boss, Olga Kurylenko (“Johnny English Strikes Again”) as Jacqui, The Boss’ wife and Joana Ribeiro as Angelica. Think of Angelica as a love interest for Grisoni, but one that could not be attainable, originally, due to her very young age.

As Grisoni embarks on a journey to reconnect with his past, while, still, mildly staying in touch with the present, he gets a lot more than he dreamed of bargaining for. Keep in mind that the setting is somewhere in the land of Spain, or so it would appear. The scenery is nothing short of mesmerizing and it would seem that much of the land has remained untouched, over the years. In any case, his encounter with Quixote leads to an unexpected detour for both of these characters, involving a great adventure, all imagined inside the mind of Javier. Grisoni runs into Angelica, in the process, who has changed a great deal, over the years, and lives a very different life than before. Soon, this all leads to a rendezvous at a massive castle, owned by a man whom, I suppose, is involved in the making of the movie everyone was originally involved in.

At this point, it was pointless to understand what had happened to the story. In response, I found myself simply focusing on the characters. I thought to myself, concerning Javier, “Is there a primitive innocence within the walls of insanity?” He had become a sympathetic character; someone I wanted to root for, despite his condition. His ultimate demise was brief and comically-insignificant. I wish I could say that there was something important to devise from this, but, alas, I cannot do it.

Grisoni gets what he sought, but there is a big price to pay and Angelica realizes that. Her response is only something that any man could hope for, where great love and affection is possible. The character of Don Quixote is redeemed, although in a bizarre fashion, and Terry Gilliam has finally fulfilled a project that had been in the tank for some 20 years, or so.

I do not think you need to be a Gilliam fan to see this movie, but, perhaps, you have to be a fan of more than one, previous film to even begin to understand “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.” My expectations were fair, but not met. Do not waste your time if you think this one is not worth it, from the outset.

Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriters: Terry Gilliam and Tony Grisoni
Based on: “Don Quixote,” by Miguel de Cervantes
Starring: Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, Olga Kurylenko, Joana Ribeiro, Oscar Jaenada as The Gypsy, Jason Watkins as Rupert, Sergi Lopez as The Farmer, Rossi de Palma as The Farmer’s Wife, Hovik Keuchkerian as Raul and Jordi Molla as Alexei Miiskin
Distributors: The Searchers (Belgium), Ocean Films (France), Lusomundo (Portugal) and Warner Bros Pictures(Spain)
Release dates: May 19th 2018 (France), June 1st 2018 (Spain), July 25th 2018 (Belgium), December 27th 2018 (Portugal) and April 10th 2019 (US)