L'Armée des 12 singes

Normally I try to avoid Sci-Fi movies as much as I can, because this just isn't a genre that really appeals to me. Light sabers, UFO's, aliens, time traveling... most of the time it's nothing for me. However, there is one movie in the genre that I'll always give a place in my list of top movies and that's this "Twelve Monkeys" I remember to be completely blown away by it the first time, but even now, after having it seen several times already, I'm still one of its biggest fans. Every time I see it, this movie seems to get better and better.

Somewhere in the distant future all people live underground because an unknown and lethal virus wiped out five billion people in 1996, leaving only 1 percent of the population alive. James Cole is one of them. He's a prisoner who lives in a small cage and who is chosen as a 'volunteer' to be sent back to in time to gather information about the origin of the epidemic. They believe it was spread by a mysterious group called 'The Twelve Monkeys' and need the virus before it mutated, so that scientists can study it. But their time traveling machine doesn't work perfectly yet and he is accidentally sent to 1990, where he meets Dr. Kathryn Railly, a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey Goines, the insane son of a famous scientist and virus expert...

What I like so much about this movie is the fact that it is never clear whether all what you are seeing is real or not. Is this just an illusion, created in the mind of a mentally ill man or is it real? Does he really come from the future and can he really travel through time? Was the population really wiped out by a virus, released by the army of The Twelve Monkeys? Those are all questions that will leave you wondering from the beginning until the end. If the makers of this movie had chosen to make it all more obvious, I'm sure that I would never have liked it as much as I did now. It's just that mysteriousness that keeps me interested time after time. But that's not the only good thing about this movie of course. The acting is amazing too. Normally I'm not too much a fan of Bruce Willis, but what he did in this movie was just astonishing. Together with Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt he should have won several awards for it, because together with the amazing story, they made this movie work so incredibly well.

Even after several viewings, I'm still a huge fan of this movie. Except for this movie, I have only seen one other Terry Gilliam movie and that's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", which wasn't bad, but didn't really convince me either. However, it's this movie that really makes me look forward to his other work. I give it a 9/10, maybe even a 9.5/10.

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.

In 1996, a deadly virus is released by a terrorist group known as The Army of the Twelve Monkeys and wipes out 5 billion people from Earth and the survivors are forced to live underground.

In 2035, the prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis) is forced to return to 1996 to find the original virus to help the scientists to research the cure to mankind. However, he is mistakenly sent to 1990 and locked up in a mental institution, where he meets the lunatic Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). James Cole unsuccessfully tries to explain his assignment to the doctors, including the psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) that is responsible for his treatment, and then he tries to escape but is incarcerated in a cell. Out of the blue, he vanishes, in the beginning of the incredible journey of James Cole.

"Twelve Monkeys" (1995) is a sci-fi ahead of the time. The plot has many details that requires the viewer to watch this film more than once to fully understand the story. Watching "Twelve Monkeys" again in 2021 is particularly scary in times of the pandemic Covid. Hope that the history does not follow fiction. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Os 12 Macacos" ("The 12 Monkeys")

Note: On 24 February 2025, I saw this film again.

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!

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.