THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (1978) ****

I kind of avoided The Boys from Brazil after all these years because the whole thing sounded cheesy.  Based on what I’d heard, I was picturing They Saved Hitler’s Brain, but with Oscar-winning actors.  That really isn’t too far off the mark, but that’s kind of what makes it so awesome.  I mean, The Boys from Brazil showed me sights I’d never thought I’d ever see in a movie, including: 

1.     The greatest actor of his generation, Sir Laurence Olivier avenging the death of the star of Police Academy, Steve Guttenberg. 

2.     Gregory Peck, who played the symbol of heroism and righteousness, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, playing the evil Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele performing despicable medical experiments on children.  

3.     Peck, giving a monologue about being in “a godforsaken place” that is basically plagiarized entirely from Ed Wood’s Bride of the Monster.    

Directed by Franklin J. (Planet of the Apes) Schaffner and based on the novel by Ira Levin, The Boys from Brazil is a hoot from start to finish.  It opens with a suspenseful extended sequence in which Steve Guttenberg goes hot on the trail of Nazis in Paraguay.  When the Nazis find him and murder him, it’s then up to Olivier to pick up where he left off.  He eventually uncovers an elaborate assassination plot involving dozens of seemingly unrelated targets.  Sir Larry O. does some more digging and learns the truth is crazier than he could’ve ever imagined. 

You know, whenever I saw the title of this movie, I always assumed “The Boys” was code for Nazis.  You know, like Hitler and the Boys are up to no good in Brazil.  Turns out, it’s a lot funnier than that.  The “Boys” are actually (SPOILER) HITLER CLONES (!!!) that are spread out all over the world.  While it sounds farfetched (and believe me, it is), the dead seriousness of which the material is handled makes it work on both levels.  Yes, the premise is ridiculous, but somehow, Schaffner and company pull it off.  I mean, the whole idea is so absurd that only a guy like Olivier could make you care about it.  

If you think about it though, this is the next logical step from a baby Antichrist.  The idea of an army of teenage Hitler clones, while absurd, is pretty scary.  Because of that, the film would work well as a double feature to either Rosemary’s Baby (which was also written by Levin) or The Omen (which also starred Peck). 

Speaking of Peck, he is great cast against type as the repulsive Mengele.  He chews scenery, but is never hammy and always remains imposing and intimidating.  Olivier, who memorably played a Nazi himself in Marathon Man, is just as much fun to watch here playing the other side of the coin as the frail, but crafty Nazi hunter. 

It’s the Hitler Clone Kid who gets the best line of the movie though when he calls Peck a “Freaked-out maniac!”