12 Monkeys Movie Review 1995

Forty years after a plague wipes out 99 percent of the human population and sends the survivors underground, scientists send prisoner James Cole (Willis) to the 1990s to investigate the connection between the virus and seriously deranged fanatic Jeffrey Goines (Pitt), whose father happens to be a renowned virologist. Director Gilliam's demented vision is a bit tougher and less capricious than usual, and the convoluted plot and accumulated detail require a keen attention span, but as each piece of the puzzle falls into place the story becomes a fascinating sci-fi spectacle. Pitt drops the pretty-boy image with a nutzoid performance that'll make revelers stop swooning in a heartbeat. Inspired by the 1962 French short "La Jetee."

Distribution

Universal Studios Home Video, 100 Universal City Plz., Universal City, CA 91608-9955, Phone: (818)777-1000, Fax: (818)866-1483, URL: http://www.universalstudios.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 131 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Sci Fi, Anti-Heroes, Childhood Visions, Dental Mayhem, Emerging Viruses, Hospitals & Medicine, Hostage!, Time Travel, Post-Apocalypse, Sanity Check, Shrinks, Stolen from France, Philadelphia

Screenplay

David Peoples, Janet Peoples

Cast

Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, David Morse, Frank Gorshin, Jon Seda

Cinematography

Roger Pratt

Director

Terry Gilliam

Music

Paul Buckmaster

Producer

Charles Roven, Gary Levinsohn, Robert Kosberg, Robert Cavallo, Universal Pictures

Awards

Golden Globes 1996: Support. Actor (Pitt).