12 Monkeys (27 December 1995)
directed by Terry Gilliam
starring Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe, Brad Pitt, David Morse, Christopher Plummer, Christopher Meloni, Jon Seda, Vernon Campbell, Simon Jones, Bill Raymond, Ernest Abuba, Irma St.&bnsp;Paule, Joey Perillo, Joseph Melito, Frederick Strother, Frank Gorshin, Stephen Bridgewater
|
MPAA rating: Studio: Universal Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Classico Script: Chris Marker, David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples Music: Paul Buckmaster Running time: 129 minutes Tags: Action; Drama; mental institutions; monkeys; murder; Science Fiction; time travel; viruses Tactical strength: [7/10]
|
for violence and language
As a child, Cole (Joseph Melito) watched authorities gun down a man in the Philadelphia airport. As an adult, Cole (Bruce Willis) has recurring dreams about the shooting and the woman who runs to the victim's aid. Shortly after the shooting, a virus killed most of the world's population, and the remaining population has moved underground to escape the virus-laden surface. A group of scientists have developed rudimentary time travel capabilities. They hope to send a man back in time to collect samples of the original virus, which the scientists can then use to develop an antibody.
Cole "volunteers" to go back in time and collect the samples. He volunteers because he would rather not remain in prison for his violent nature. The scientists train Cole to look for certain events, people, and political groups connected with the virus. In particular, he needs to look for the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, which the scientists believe developed and released the virus.
Initially, Cole gets sent too far back into the past. Upon arrival, he assaults several police officers, and with his ramblings about viruses and the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, a judge assigns Cole to a mental hospital. In the hospital, Cole meets Kathryn (Madeline Stowe), a psychologist. Madeline tries to convince Cole that his mind has created the images of the future. Cole also meets fellow patient Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). Cole learns that Jeffrey's father (Christopher Plummer) does research work in virology, which he takes back to the scientists. Cole makes several more trips to the past, each time getting closer to the actual release date of the virus. Each time Cole visits the past, he meets Kathryn. Gradually, she starts to believe Cole's story about traveling from the future. At the same time, Cole starts to believe Kathryn's assertion that he lives in Kathryn's time and his mind manufactures his visions of the future.
Director Terry Gilliam does an excellent job at gradually building tension through Cole and Kathryn's relationship. The visual components all appear skewed, and for a while, we don't know whether we should believe Cole or Kathryn. The cast does an excellent job at playing their roles with all seriousness. If Gilliam wants to make a joke, it will play at the cosmic level, not in plot. Ultimately all the twists and turns come full circle back to the shooting in the airport. We come to expect the ending, but I felt somewhat disappointed with the conclusion, which left me with an empty feeling like an unfulfilled promise.
Related Review
La Jetée directed by Chris Marker
