Thought-Provoking and Well-Acted

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2002)

********Spoilers********************
"Twelve Monkeys" weaves a fascinating story about fate and destiny using the time-travel paradigm, "can we change the present from the past?" Made in 1995, "Twelve Monkeys" is set in the near future after a virus, maliciously released into the world by enviro-terrorists, has killed 99% of the human race. The remaining 1% exist underground in a police state, trying to develop a cure to the plague lurking on the surface. Interestingly, they've made a breakthrough in time travel and send 'volunteers' into the past to try and retrieve a sample of the pure, un-mutated plague virus that can be used to fashion a cure. Cool, huh? You bet.
Bruce Willis is a volunteer, and in his first time-trip the scientists miss the mark, placing him four years before the outbreak. Naked, uncivilized, and talking nonsense Bruce is quickly placed in a mental institution where he meets Jeffrey Goines played by Brad Pitt. Goines is the wealthy scion who will soon found the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, the environmental group that unleashes the plague.
The story is one of those mind-twisting psychological adventures that are so popular these days. But it doesn't have the "look-at-me" smugness that hampers many efforts. The story is told in a straightforward, albeit dark, cinematic style. This is Terry Gilliam remember. Willis and Pitt give excellent performances and they alone are worth the price of the rental. If you haven't seen this movie, rent it, especially if you're a science fiction fan.