Give it a chance

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2012)

'Twelve Monkeys' is a film which has a certain audience. It's a shame Terry Gilliam's films don't have as big a fan-base as other types of film and director but his fans are loyal.
The film starts off with Bruce Willis' flashback and him waking up in this strange prison-like place which automatically frightens you, the first half hour of the film is like this. One particular part is when Willis is walking through the abandoned shopping centre, it's a very atmospheric film.
The plot is very interesting, it can become quite confusing at some points but, as with a lot of Gilliam's films, it all ties together at the end. The camera-work in this film works really well and provides a lot of the atmosphere and tension in the film's plot.
The acting in this film is pretty good. The two main strengths in this film are of course Willis and Brad Pitt. Bruce Willis is an actors who has been type-cast unfortunately but this film broke the mould. He does not do any typical Willis-like actions and although he is the film's protagonist, he doesn't seem that way at all in this, he portrays a muddled, odd person who eventually tries to save the day. Brad Pitt is astonishing, it's the best I have ever seen him perform. It shows how great he really is as an actor and he's not just a pretty face.
Overall, I would recommend this film if you have seen a Gilliam film before and enjoyed it. If you have never liked any of his films you will probably not like this one. If you've never seen any then at least give this film a chance, it deserves a lot more credit than it received.