While all of Gilliam's movies are worth seeing, there's a fair amount of his designer grimness here mixed in with the cabaret comedy.
Twelve Monkeys
The future is history.
1995 · 2h 9m · R
Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Directed by
Terry Gilliam
Overview
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Director and cast
- Terry Gilliam Director
- Bruce Willis as James Cole
- Madeleine Stowe as Dr. Kathryn Railly
- Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines
- Christopher Plummer as Dr. Goines
- David Morse as Dr. Peters
- Jon Seda as Jose
- Christopher Meloni as Lt. Halperin
- Joseph Melito as young Cole
- Joey Perillo as Detective Franki
- LisaGay Hamilton as Teddy
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Neither as visually compelling as Brazil nor as emotionally gripping as The Fisher King.
Gilliam gives the material a lunatic poetry of his own, but remains impervious to the requirements of narrative pacing.
Dark and somber like Blade Runner, this sci-fi is a spectacular mess, a convoluted film with too many ideas for its own good, blending (among other things) the virus thriller with the post-apocalyptic genre.
There's always overripe method to his madness, but in the new 12 Monkeys Mr. Gilliam's methods are uncommonly wrenching and strong.
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