Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Legendary auteur Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Time Bandits, The Fisher King, Monty Python & the Holy Grail) directs this time-bending sci-fi thriller focusing on one man's unique journey to the past to save the future.  That man is James Cole (Bruce Willis) who is currently living in a dystopian 2035 so ravaged by disease that no humans can actually live on the surface of the Earth so he has been tasked by scientists to travel back to the 1990's in Philadelphia to pinpoint the very beginning of a fatal virus which would eventually spread and wipe out most of the Earth's population.  As would be expected, several complications occur along the way including being commited to a mental facility where he meets the mad son (Brad Pitt who received an Oscar nomination for his performance) of a reknowned virologist (Christopher Plummer).  And he also encounters a therapist (Madeline Stowe) who initially believes him to be crazy though they build a unique relationshiop over time.  Co-written by David Webb Peoples (the Oscar-nominated writer of Unforgiven and Blade Runner), this dizzying tale takes features several dizzying turns carried by sterling performances.  

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

TWELVE MONKEYS – 1995

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, Jon Seda, Christopher Meloni, Joe Perillo, LisaGay Hamilton, Matt Ross, Michael Chance, and David Morse

Genre: Sci Fi Thriller(Audio clip)

It's kinda crazy in retrospect that this movie is both about as nutty as you can get for a big budget sci fi thriller with stars and also likely THE most accessible film to be released by its director. :) I THINK Terry Gilliam had already dipped his toe into the mainstream a few years prior with The Fisher King but that film still had a much more remote overall premise which defied genre....whereas this is kinda sorta a reality-twisting dystopian bio-terror thriller, it's wild regardless! And it really clicks thanks to its stars....

At its core is a time-travel paradox and yet I find it funny how Gilliam (with writers David & Janet Peoples) REALLY yada-yada's the actual time travel....it occurs entirely off-screen! Which is fine because unlike his previous films, Gilliam seems determined to just not go mystical - many of the settings and characters feel quite ascue but they all at least feel as if their feet are firmly planted on Planet Earth. Nobody is sprouting wings or suddenly in the presence of a fire-breathing dragon....but who needs dragons breathing fire when you can just watch Bruce Willis continuously drooling for the first 25 or so minutes? 😆

I wondered it first seeing it back in theaters and I'm more confident now: this is likely Willis' BEST career performance! It's actually pretty mind-boggling how he can draw so much empathy for a pretty unhinged character - James Cole - who is never really allowed to settle in, not even when he's delivering exposition.  And Stowe does truly hold right alongside him as Dr. Kathryn Railly whom James initially takes as a hostage and then they develop a unique relationship as the story progresses.  This might very well be one of HER best performances. There’s ONE standout moment in particular which I’ll get to in just a bit…

Speaking of Philly....Gilliam and DP Roger Pratt (who did some underrated work in the '90's with films like The End of the Affair and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), this story makes GREAT use of the locations around that city where most of it takes place. It's clearly exaggerated a bit with the production design. 🫣 Having been to Philly in the '90's, yes it was grimier than most other northeastern cities but I don't recall it being quite THIS filthy....of course it still works for the story. And as TRULY over-the-top as those earlier scenes taking place in the psychiatric ward are both filmed and performed, they very much work as well.....

Thanks to the inspired comic timing of Brad Pitt playing the cross-eyed trust-fund baby/faux-anarchist Jeffrey Goines, that portion of the film is genuinely fun albeit lifted ENTIRELY by Pitt's tick-infused performance. :) 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Yes on the surface this is a highly manipulative scene but when he's first driving in the car after having kidnapped Stowe's psychiatrist Kathryn Railly and he's listening to pop music for the first time on the radio....this occurs at around the 50 minute mark.  Not sure why it always gets me but just watching his face well up with slight tears of joy - out of frame no less - just as we're watching Stowe who's crying out of fear in the front seat.......it's a genuinely moving all-timer moment. 😥 It shouldn't work but it does...you're WITH his character from that point on no matter, no matter how feral or looney he sometimes gets after that point. It's just Bruce going full-on raw with no affectation....he's about as convincing as you can portraying a man out of time who's hungry for some joy or just normalcy.  It’s a great showcase for go-for-broke acting on both Willis’ and Stowe’s part but the song which REALLY sells it?  The 1956 smash hit cover of “Blueberry Hill” by the late, great Fats Domino. (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Now regarding Brad Pitt’s performance as Jeffrey Goines – I’ve always been a BIT mixed on how it fits into the overall story, even though he is GENUINELY good here.  While he certainly steals the movie early on, do I feel as though he was more deserving of his Oscar nomination than the other two leads who weren't nominated? Probably not but I get it....he serves a real purpose for the first half of this movie making it more palatable. I honestly don't think you need his character as much for the second half as we're just delving further into a red herring for the overall plot....this is still REALLY James and Kathryn's story at the end of the day as we watch both characters journey into madness. (Yes Kathryn much moreso towards the end but Stowe sells it very well) (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now back to that aforementioned scene of Kathryn driving James…as far as I’m concerned, THE best scene and dramatic pivot point of the story occurs just about five minutes after that “Blueberry Hill” moment just about ten minutes later.  They're now in Philly and James just had her stop the car SUDDENLY to run out and look at some graffiti that gives him a clue. And the camera lingers on her….I'm always a sucker for scenes when actors just have a moment to process a major decision without saying anything....and watching Stowe's face in this moment as she's sitting in the front seat - deciding as to whether to just drive away - it's potent stuff! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

At the end of the day, this is STILL a director’s movie and this is never more obvious than during what is the pretty complex but EXTREMELY well-executed manner with which he concludes this story.  I’m of course referring to the entire paradoxical climax at the airport....I truly love it and you can feel Gilliam REALLY twisting the knife with the Dutch angles, the slo-mo, just about every editing choice. It's likely his BEST full-on setpiece from a suspense standpoint and I could also appreciate the open-endedness of it - he was doing Nolan before Nolan and in a manner which could ONLY be done this way through Gilliam lingering SO much on Julie Weiss' (Frida, Blades of Glory ;)) costume design. (Funnily enough, that was the only other category this film received an Oscar nomination for.) You can interpret the ending of this story as tragic, hopeful, or even a bit of both – for taking us on a WILD 130 minute journey which never flags AND peaks at the very end, Terry Gilliam is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Happy 30th Anniversary to a near-masterpiece which is likely Gilliam's best film next to Brazil as far as I'm concerned. Even though it was adapted from a pretty ground-breaking experimental short film (La Jetee), it's a true original for its genre....or genres.

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And that ends another SIMIAN review!