2h 9m
Director: Terry Gilliam

On his initial journey through time, Cole (Bruce Willis) meets Jeffrey Gaines (Brad Pitt) in a mental health facility and mentions that he is looking for the 'Army of the 12 Monkeys'. We later discover that this has set up a paradox which causes Jeffrey to form a political group with the same name which adds confusion to identifying the source of the virus.

It's worth mentioning by the way that Brad Pitt does an excellent job of portraying Gaines as a skittish, mentally ill person. It's also worth mentioning that Jeffrey is the son of Dr. Gaines (Christopher Plummer), who is a prominent virologist which adds a bit of sauce to the paradox red herring.

There is a scene where Cole and Railly (Madelaine Stowe) are in a car, Cole is delighted to hear music on the radio and revels in breathing the relatively fresh air (being from the future) whilst Railly has been kidnapped and is afraid for her life, thinking she's in the car with a mentally ill person who's deeply lost in his own psychosis.

Interestingly, this siuation is later reversed where Cole becomes convinced of his own psychosis whilst Railly is certain that he isn't deluded and has been telling her the truth.

Throughout the story, we are asked to consider whether Cole really is a time travelling convict from the future or a mentally ill person, convinced of his own psychosis.

In the final scene, which is alluded to as dream sequences earlier in the narrative, Cole runs through airport security chasing after the man who wants to spread the virus globally. He intends to shoot him with his own gun but airport security shoots him first. There is a poignant moment, young Cole is also present at the airport and witnesses the shooting and Railly identifies him in the crowd. This memory informs Cole's character at several points later in his life and we feel like we've come full circle to a formative moment.

In conclusion, it's thought provoking science fiction and if you're not looking for tons of visual noise then I think you'll find it very satisfying.



Trailer: