12 Monos

Terry Gilliam's stunning feature-length adaptation of Chris Marker's short film LA JETEE is full of mind-bending surprises, yet still touches your heart thanks to the superb cast. Gilliam's flair for the phantasmagorical works with the script by David and Janet Peoples to play with your head as much as it does with poor James Cole (Willis at his most Steve McQueen-like -- better than McQueen, even!), a time-traveling convict from the future who literally doesn't know whether he's coming or going as a team of scientists keeps sending him back to the wrong eras while trying to prevent a 1995 plague that's deadly to humans but harmless to animals. Willis, the justifiably Oscar-nominated Brad Pitt, and Madeline Stowe as a well-meaning psychiatrist give some of the best performances of their careers. Even Paul Buckmaster's tango-style score is haunting. This one's a don't-miss!

There is a story (possibly apocryphal) about an exchange between Bruce Willis and Terry Gilliam at the start of Twelve Monkeys. Gilliam (allegedly) produced a long list (think about the aircraft one from the Fifth Element) and handed it to Butch Bruce. It was entitled "Things Bruce Willis Does When He Acts". It ended with a simple message saying: "please don't do any of the above in my movie".

There is a fact about this movie (definitely true). Gilliam didn't have a hand in the writing.

I would contend that these two factors played a huge role in creating the extraordinary (if not commercial) success that is The Twelve Monkeys.

Visually, the Twelve Monkeys is all that we have rightly come to expect from a Gilliam film. It is also full of Gilliamesque surrealism and general (but magnificent) strangeness. Gilliam delights in wrong-footing his audience. Although the ending of the Twelve Monkeys will surprise no one who has sat through the first real, Gilliam borrows heavily from Kafka in the clockwork, bureaucratic relentless movement of the characters towards their fate. It is this journey, and the character developments they undergo, which unsettles.

I love Gilliam films (Brazil, in particular). But they do all tend to suffer from the same weakness. He seems to have so many ideas, and so much enthusiasm, that his films almost invariably end up as a tangled mess (Brazil, in particular). I still maintain that Brazil is Gilliam's tour de force, but there's no denying that The Twelve Monkey's is a breath of fresh air in the tight-plotting department. Style, substance and form seem to merge in a way not usually seen from the ex-Python.

Whatever the truth of the rumour above, Gilliam also manages to get a first rate (and very atypical) performance out of the bald one. Bruce is excellent in this film, as are all the cast, particularly a suitably bonkers - and very scary - Brad Pitt.

It's been over a decade since this film was released. When I watched it again, I realised that it hadn't really aged. I had changed, of course. And this made me look at the film with fresh eyes. This seems to me to be a fitting tribute to a film that, partly at least, is about reflections in mirrors, altered perspectives and the absurd one-way journey through time that we all make. A first rate film. 8/10.

Carrying in each frame the chaotic and striking visual style of its director, "Twelve Monkeys" is an interesting science fiction, which also has inspired performances by its cast and a narrative that is at the same time complex and fascinating to conquer the viewer. Featuring a depressing environment in the future and another about to collapse in the past, Terry Gilliam's feature looks more like a nightmare, holding the viewer's attention not only for its look, but also for the clever way that its great premise is developed. Exploring time travel and temporal paradoxes, you are abducted into a confusing plot full of twists and turns. The most fascinating thing about this fantastic script is that, even with a huge knot in the head, it manages to close in a solid and at the same time questioning conclusion. At the end of the film, we come to an issue (no, I'll give spoilers here), something completely acceptable, and that doesn't leave us with the feeling of having been tricked by a script that didn't know how to close. Quite the contrary, the entire text was developed exactly to its conclusion.

Inspired by Chris Marker's film "La Jetée", David and Janet Peoples' intricate screenplay begins in 2035, when James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back to the past to gather information about a lethal virus that has decimated human beings. In 1996, killing an estimated five billion people. However, due to a mistake by the scientists, James returns to 1990 and ends up in a mental institution, where he meets the psychiatrist Kathryn (Madeleine Stowe) and the young Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt), son of Dr. Goines (Christopher Plummer) is likely responsible for the birth of the group known as the "army of Twelve Monkeys", which theoretically would have spread the lethal virus around the world.

Right in its first minutes, "Twelve Monkeys" demonstrates its dreamlike facet through the mysterious dream of its protagonist in an airport that, in fact, seems more like a tormenting and recurrent nightmare, appearing in several moments to terrify him. Then, James appears in a rather uncomfortable cell, talking to another prisoner in the underground world (where the few survivors of the virus try to survive) moments before being summoned for a mysterious mission. In this way, the director seeks to facilitate the spectator's identification with his protagonist, who appears vulnerable, in precarious conditions and about to be sent on an uncertain mission. With the help of editor Mick Audsley, Gilliam adds dynamism to the narrative, keeping it always intriguing precisely because he conducts it from the perspective of James, thus placing us in the same position as the protagonist, also succeeding in inserting time travel in an organic way. - with the exception of the first sharp jump from the present to 1990 in Baltimore.

Creating a dirty and abandoned world in the present and an unattractive one in the past, the director reflects on screen his protagonist's mental confusion. The chaotic place where James meets the scientists, for example, helps to create the troubled and anarchic atmosphere intended by the director. By the way, the scenes that take place in the present have such an exaggerated caricature tone that, sometimes, they end up making the audience laugh - which serves as comic relief in a narrative that demands a lot of attention. Already in the past, the peeling walls of the asylum make the environment quite realistic and help to illustrate the protagonist's disgust in that place. And if William Ladd Skinner's art direction is essential in this process, the interesting costumes by Julie Weiss not only reinforce this look but also distinguish each era well, such as the Second World War and the 90s.

The film's script, written by David Webb and Janet Peoples, manages to create an intriguing dubious perception in the viewer, who at a given moment in the work wonders if the character was hallucinating or if all that had really happened. For those who know La Jetée, this perception may be just a shadow or not even exist, but it is clear to identify the game of realities on the screen, questioning and playing with memory and even with History that can come literally (at this point, more subtly) or aesthetically (very strongly), with very special references to the films "Monkey Business" (1931), "Vertigo" (1958), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Escape from New York (1981), cinematographic plurality which shows Terry Gilliam's predilection for great excesses and also his ability to work with them organically.

Even though the beginning of the film has a slower pace than it should and the first trip is abrupt and uninteresting, the audience quickly forgets about these flaws and focuses on the journey of Cole, who tries to fulfill a complex mission while having the "misfortune" of falling in love with a woman from his past, which will lead to more aggressive surveillance by the scientists who sent him and seal his fate at the airport. Gilliam's direction is realistic, even when the production design reaches baroque peaks in the mixture of technologies and inventions throughout the 2035 scenario, which bears many similarities with the environment of "Brazil" and "The Zero Theorem", similarities that ended up making some cinephiles consider the works part of a trilogy, although this has not been stated or thought by Gilliam. The public is thrown into two worlds that believe themselves, in some way, victorious, but are, each in their own way, decadent and share the same behavioral deviations, manipulation structures maintained by those who hold any kind of power (scientific, war , financial, etc.) and the struggle of some individuals to free themselves from the yoke of this manipulation and control, almost literally reintroducing to us the struggle of the characters in They Live, by John Carpenter: buy, watch TV, obey.

In the cast we have the always charismatic, Bruce Willis conquering the viewer with his vulnerable James Cole, taking the audience with him on that journey and convincing even when he begins to question his own sanity - special emphasis on two scenes, one in a hospital bed in front of the scientists and another in a hotel room with Kathryn. Exhibiting the anguish of someone who feels out of place and confused and the determination of someone who has a mission to accomplish, Willis creates a captivating and very human character. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, is sensational as the crazy Jeffrey Goines, with his tics, fast speech, the oscillation in the tone of voice and the constant movement in the eyes, which very well characterize a character that is simultaneously dangerous and fascinating. Together, they are responsible for the best moments of "Twelve Monkeys". However, there are other interesting moments, especially when they involve Madeleine Stowe's Kathryn, which conveys well the distress and confusion in the character's mind in the face of James and her statements. And we cannot fail to mention Christopher Plummer, who efficiently embodies Jeffrey's famous father, even though he appears rarely on the scene.

At a certain point in the plot, the viewer starts to share James' doubt and asks if all that doesn't really exist only in the protagonist's mind. But the complete turnaround happens when a boy is found in the barn (as he had said it would happen) and, added to a photograph of the first world war and the bullet removed from his leg, proves to Kathryn and the viewer that James was speaking the truth. And then the reference to the classic "A Falling Body" appears in Kathryn's disguise, in the images of Hitchcock's film inside a movie theater and even in the soundtrack, thematically tying the narrative and opening up the film's message: we will never be able to change the past. This message is confirmed in the emblematic final scene, where the "dream" is repeated. Kathryn's gaze at young James, accompanied by a slight smile, turns this painful scene into a beautiful moment, illustrating the moment in which she realizes that James would live forever in this cycle.

Mick Audsley's montage is also efficient and interesting rhymes are created: Cole being scared by a bear in the future to, later in the present, being scared by a stuffed bear are examples of this. And Gilliam, with Roger Pratt's photography, still creates visual anecdotes, such as when the protagonist tries to hide from the police by turning to a shop window only to realize he is on the same television, as it is one of those stores with TVs and cameras turned to the street. The incidental soundtrack is excellent and the imposing tango "Suite Punta Del Este" composed by Ástor Piazzolla, brings an unforgettable tone to the plot and has become his trademark, as well as the tracks What a Wonderful World, Blueberry Hill and Sleep Walk, that manage to illustrate the emotional charge of the various journeys throughout the film.

Time travel is nothing new in fiction, non-linear scripts too. Apocalyptic future even less. Still, "Twelve Monkeys" has an air of innovation. It adds to our lives. It has drama, humor, suspense, philosophy, romance, all wrapped up in a genius idea from a Frenchman who the American knew how to reconstruct with mastery. Interesting from a visual and technical point of view and with a thought-provoking plot, "Twelve Monkeys" is one of those films worth discussing in the midst of the current pandemic. Since it is a temporal paradox, if it depends on your characters and history, there is nothing we can do. Regardless of our actions, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

I don't know why his name is not under credits, but Pitt has done one of the best acts ever, of his career. No wonder he was nominated an Oscar for this. For all his amazing looks, he puts too much hard work in his roles. I never thought if that crazy guy role for a slim, good looking, stubbled stud will ever work. But he proved these amazing guys too can be crazy, that too beautifully.

Bruce was good as usual, may be too much drooling in his role and for his psychiatrist. Even for that personality he easily managed to overpower those two guys in the theater (kinda Die Hard thing). That scene was funny as hell.

Time travels, I think, if are that frequent, can never be right on the money. Ending up in the trenches as result is never a good idea. Can't they transport the person with his clothes on. I mean I will never wish to be teleported to some place naked, at-least factor in the weather for God's sake.

We have witnessed Corona recently and 2035 is a bit far away. Doesn't portend well for the human race.

Overall a good watch #TwelveMonkeys1995 - 8/10.

I grew up on Python and have followed Terry Gilliam's subsequent directorial career for more years than I care to remember. Half his output leaves me cold, the other half dazzle me beyond belief. 'Brazil' is his movie that I would rate the highest, but I've come to think that I have unfairly underrated 'Twelve Monkeys'. I have always enjoyed it, but I've only come to realize just how good a movie it really is. Sometimes I think it is even better than 'Brazil'. It's a close pick. Unlike 'Brazil' Gilliam didn't come up with the script. He basically was initially involved as a director for hire. Thankfully the script itself (by David and Janet Peoples) is first rate. On top of that Gilliam manages to stamp his own style and approach on to the material without sliding into complete self-indulgence as he sometimes does. The budget of this movie wasn't anywhere near as large as you would imagine from the impressive results on screen. It looks superb. Gilliam coaxes first rate performances out of Bruce Willis (quite a surprise) and Brad Pitt (not such a surprise, see also 'Johnny Suede' and 'Kalifornia'). Madeline Stowe is also very good, as is Christopher Plummer, and in a small but important role, David Morse. It's difficult to fault this movie. It is a joy to watch, and improves with each viewing. I also highly recommend Chris Marker's 'La Jetee', the short experimental film which inspired 'Twelve Monkeys'. It is also brilliant.