Review of Twelve Monkeys (1995) by Rylan P — 20 Feb 2012

Terry Gilliam's fascinating, powerful post apocalyptic thriller with a marvelous dynamic performance by Bruce Willis, who creates a character whose fateewe really come to care about, he plays a long suffering convict and time traveler named James Cole, who is sent back to the year 1990 to discover the origin and source of a super deadly virus that will kill 5 billions people in the near future, and force the remaining survivors to live underground in dank overcrowded communities.

In the past Cole is arrested and incarcerated in a mental hospital where he is interviewed by a beautiful psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Raily, wonderfully played by Madeleine Stowe, he also meets Jeffery Goines, played by Brad Pitt in a brilliant and unforgettable Oscar nominated performance as the insane son of a socialite scientist, superbly played by Christopher Plummer.

Jeffery is also the leader of a self-styled radical eco-terrorist group called the Army of the 12 Monkeys, which the future authorities who sent Cole through time believe are responsible for unleashing the artificially engineered biological plague that will decimate the world.

Cole must escape from the asylum and find and stop Jeffery and his group before it is too late again. Vivid characterizations from the supporting cast that includes David Morse, Jon Seda, Frank Gorshin, and Joseph Melto, imaginative visual effects and a superb production design, A highly original film filled with Gilliam's trademark dazzling visual style, wicked humor.

Highly Recommended.