The plot of Twelve Monkeys is a strange but interesting one. Many years in the future, a disease wipes out almost all of the population on Earth. The remaining survivors recede underground and try to make a life there, while also sending people back in time to gather information on the disease to possibly thwart it. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a criminal, who's one of the "volunteers" to be sent back in time to 1996 (remember this was released in 1995 so '96 was the future) to get info on the disease that killed 5 billion people. Cole is accidentally sent to 1990 and put in a mental institution where he meets Kathryn Railly (Madeline Stowe), a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt), a mental patient and son of a senator. James Cole starts to find out the truth about the terrorist group known as the 12 Monkeys while also simultaneously falling in love with Kathryn. I really like good dystopian science fiction. Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, and A Scanner Darkly are all some examples of when it's done right. Twelve Monkeys certainly isn't as good as Blade Runner, but it comes fairly close. It's well acted, creative, and suspenseful as hell. Terry Gilliam is the director of the film. I've only seen his Monty Python movies, but nothing else. I don't know if his other movies are good, but he does a great job with Twelve Monkeys. Gilliam succeeds in creating this grim and tension filled atmosphere that is very fitting for the film. His directing style here is reminiscent of Monty Python, but a lot more depressing. I haven't seen Gilliam's other dystopian sci-fi flick, Brazil, but if it's anything like Twelve Monkeys, I'm in! The acting here is pretty great too. Bruce Willis is great as the troubled antihero. Madeline Stowe and Christopher Plummer are also a terrific supporting cast. They're all great, but Brad Pitt is the gem here. His performance is believable and kind of awesome. He did get an Oscar nomination and win a Golden Globe for it! Pitt plays a mentally unstable leader of a protest group. Maybe you've seen Brad in some action flicks or movies like Fight Club and Inglourious Basterds. He was fantastic in all those movies, but his role in Twelve Monkeys is like none I've seen him in before. Even if you hate sci-fi movies (for some strange reason), see this for Pitt's awesome performance. The movie isn't all perfect though. It drags at times and the plot gets a little convuluted. Otherwise it's a pretty great movie that I would recommend. It's full of good performances, especially by Pitt, it's interesting, and it's very well shot. One of the better science fiction movies out there. You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies! Happy Viewing!
Good review Whit. Still confused a bit by this ending, but I think that's what makes it so damn special. That, and the fact that it was filmed in my hometown of Philly! Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteThanks man! The ending was a bit strange, maybe one day Terry Gilliam will truly explain what happened. Although there are a lot of internet forums "explaining" it.
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