Intelligent, Exciting, Enjoyably Confusing Thriller Of Time Traveller On The Run

Rating: 7/10 (29 October 2008)

In the future, the Earth has been devastated by a virus and the survivors scavenge a living underground. James Cole is sent back in time to gather information on the cause of the catastrophe, but the effects of the process and his crazy story make everyone think he's insane. He kidnaps his psychiatrist, Kathryn Railly, who starts to believe him, but can he convince her, and what do his prophetic dreams foretell ?
This exciting time travel thriller is extremely well made, features great performances, and above all is a terrific twisty-turny tale of coincidence, random chance, cosmic destiny and misunderstanding. It cleverly throws the viewer off-guard with what seem like vital plot points which turn out to be irrelevant, while much more inconspicuous details become crucially important. The most daring example of this is the whole Jeffrey/Pitt subplot of The Army Of The Twelve Monkeys, which takes up reels and reels of screen time but in the end is actually completely redundant; it's funny, intriguing and completely fools our heroes. Equally amusing/tragic is the James-Kathryn sanity arc throughout the film; she spends the first half convincing him he's crazy and succeeds, then the second telling him he was right all along. Willis is great in a very atypical performance here; he's a tough guy but without any macho posing or snappy lines, and handles his dangerous psychosis and fearful déjà vu with many intense moments, like the bit where he hears Fats Domino singing Blueberry Hill and cries with joy. Stowe gives strong support as the rational shrink who has to open her mind to a wider reality (she's great in a whole slew of movies in the late eighties/early nineties), and Pitt is hilarious as the thoroughly cracked Jeffrey in a showcase role, all googly eyes and manic finger waving - the scene where he disrupts the loony bin so that James can escape is a comic highlight. Gilliam directs with his customary visual flair, delighting in the (many) moments where he catches us off balance with another delicious kink in the story, but also with a terrific feel for the drama; when Kathryn looks round the airport and finally sees the boy, it's a moment of pure emotional resonance. Featuring fabulous photography throughout by the highly talented Roger Pratt, the camera-work evinces arty/classical (the futuristic scenes), down and dirty (the streets of Philly), disorienting (the asylum) and smooth/classical (the denouement). Brilliantly written by the husband and wife team of David and Janet Peoples (he also wrote Blade Runner and Unforgiven, and directed a great obscure movie called The Blood Of Heroes), and inspired by Chris Marker's influential 1962 French photo-montage short, La Jetée. Not quite Gilliam's best perhaps, but a solid, through-provoking and well-acted science-fiction thriller. Don't miss it.