Rent 12 Monkeys on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Chris Marker (inspired by the film 'La Jetée' written by), David Webb Peoples & Janet Peoples (screenplay by)
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, David Morse, Christopher Meloni
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
Verdict
It's a mystery utilizing time travel. This doesn't try to explain too much away, time travel merely sets up the method. This keeps you guessing. Is time travel taking a toll on Cole's mental health? Will he be able to solve the mystery? How can he succeed when the odds are against him. Brad Pitt's performance as someone mentally unstable makes this worth watching for that alone, but this story unfolds expertly. The ending is strong, a near classic, tying in multiple story items.
Watch It.
Review
I remember really liking this when I saw it years ago. It has time travel which is an automatic opt-in for me, and the ending is strong. This doesn’t solely rely on sci-fi. This is a mystery, with protagonist trying to uncover what went wrong in the past. It's the detective angle that distinguishes this. Time travel isn't the main plot, it's just a method to uncover truth. That and the great writing set this apart.
This is inspired by a 1962 short film, , that was composed of still images.
A deadly virus wipes out most of the world and humans retreat to underground. Convicts are sent to the surface to scout for clues about what might have occurred. It’s a retro future technology that could be the future or an alternate timeline in the twentieth century.
James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time in search for clues that could explain the catalyst for the outbreak. This doesn't get into the specifics of time travel which is smart. There isn't much of a way to do it differently and explaining too much becomes laborious. Time travel just is.
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| Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis play Jeffrey Goins and James Cole. |
Cole is sent back and of course ends up in a mental institution. Brad Pitt plays Jeffrey whom Cole befriends. Pitt does such a great job playing unstable. It’s the unstable characters that best showcase his ability. Jeffrey has a bit of a Fight Club Tyler Durden streak.
Science is inexact and Cole ends up in the wrong year. We don't know how he gets back; he just does. The depiction of the future is strange, and it could easily be comical if the tone of the movie were different. It goes beyond scrap parts to build equipment, some of the things in the future would humorous in a different context.
From the doctor Kathryn's (Madeleine Stowe) point of view Cole seems unstable, but we know what he's been through, hopping across time. His mission is to find the Army of the Twelve Monkeys and he's committed.
What's been years for the doctor whom he met on his first jump has been days or weeks for him. She tries to explain his outlandish story with psychology, and even then while we know Cole believes what he's saying can we trust the people that sent him back?
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| Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe play James Cole and Kathryn Railly. |
The story is dense. Cole hears a voice and at first it seems like it might be a fellow prisoner, but that becomes increasingly suspect. There's a parallel news story about a boy in the well that provides moments for Cole to mention his past and to predict what the future holds. Kathryn starts to believe Cole's outrageous stories, but at that point his mental health has deteriorated and she's trying to convince him of what he's done, a mirror of him trying to convince her early on.
The way the end of this incorporates so many of the story elements really provides an impact. This manages to tie the opening to the ending in such a neat way.
The entire movie they're trying to find the source of virus, ostensibly to change it, but by the end it's doubtful whether any changes have happened. While I believe that time travel can't alter the future, the movie doesn't take a stance. Despite Cole and other convicts jumping into the past, the future seems unchanged. While the future deciphers voice mails left in the past, that doesn't mean the future was changed, it's just a matter of the scientists knowing where to look.
I don't remember ever hearing about Ignaz Semmelweis until Midnight Mass, but he was also mentioned in this movie. He first had the idea about germs and was labeled as crazy for such an idea. I'd think I'd remember the name. It's a strange coincidence, though this movie is full of coincidences.
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