Terrorism in movies, pre- and post-9/11

In the world of Terry Gilliam's spellbinding "Brazil" (1985), terrorism served a convenient political purpose: Anyone who operated outside the confines of the totalitarian, paperwork-littered society was labeled a terrorist, meaning any explosion (the result of bad plumbing) or form without the proper stamp is deemed subversive. Seen at left: Robert De Niro, a plumber who works clandestinely beyond the purvey of the bureaucratic Central Services ("Couldn't stand the paperwork!") makes an unofficial house call on Jonathan Pryce - and without the required copy of a 27B/6 form.

Credit: Universal Pictures