10 Movie Characters Saved By Stupidly Impossible Luck

2. Brian - Life Of Brian

On the subject of deus ex machina, if there's one thing you'd expect the Lord Almighty to put in an appearance that film would be Monty Python's Life Of Brian, the wonderfully subversive retelling of the story of Christ in an era of religious silliness. As it happens, though, when our hapless hero Brian does find himself plunging from the top of an unfinished tower towards his certain death it isn't God who steps in to save him but a pair of aliens flying by in their UFO. Having been chased through the streets by Roman soldiers, Brian is whisked off for a brief trip to outer space before being dumped back to earth right next to the pursuing troops. This close encounter might have saved him in the short term but, like Jesus himself, Brian winds up facing death on the cross. There's nothing to save him this time, but at least the experience teaches him to look on the bright side of life.