Director Terry Gilliam has a distinct visual style. When you're watching one of his movies and you've previously seen one of his movies, you instantly know it's him. There is no mistaking his style. 12 Monkeys is no exception. It doesn't take very long before his style is apparent in the strange future world he creates. It is the future but somehow looks old and battered and heavily used. Everything seems to be built from odds and ends. It's almost enough to make you forget that there is a story going on. Luckily there is a story here and it's a fascinating one. We follow James Cole, a prisoner, as he is plucked from his cell (cage would be more accurate) and sent to the surface world to collect specimens. Humans no longer live on the surface. A deadly virus killed over five billion people. The survivors retreated below ground. Cole is encased in outfit that is best described as spacesuit meets condom. After returning he is offered a chance at a pardon. If he will allow himself to be sent back in time to 1996 to try and find out where the source of the virus was, he can earn his freedom. Bruce Willis does an admirable job as Cole. He portrays a man who is scared an confused, not just by his time jumping surroundings, but by his own sanity as well. There are other characters in the movie that have a major impact but Cole is the story. Willis is excellent, reminding us that he can be a very good actor when not doing another rehash of his Die Hard role. Along the way he encounters mental patient Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt), who may or may not be involved with the coming plague. Pitt puts out a memorable performance. It's hard to slam him as a pretty boy when he takes a role like this. Goines is a wildly disturbed character. He seems barely in control of a manic personallity. Pitt captures this with a frantic performance full of nervous ticks and twitches. Plus he does the weirdest thing with his eyes that has to be seen to be believed. The movie is greatly entertaining. It slowly builds it's dual worlds and populates both convincingly. Like Cole, we are slowly learning what happened and like Cole we are never sure if this is real or merely his own dementia. The movie pulls to a convincing ending that will surely create debate as to it's true meaning. Everything is laid out for the viewer, the question is if the viewer can assemble it in a meaningful way. The movie reminds me a lot of Gilliam's earlier movie, Brazil only a lot more coherent. By the way, if you've seen The Sixth Sense, pay attention. In 12 Monkeys Willis's character Cole has a line where he says "All I see are dead people." Does this sound at all similar to the line "I see dead people." uttered by the character Cole in The Sixth Sense? Which also stars Bruce Willis by the way. Eery coincidence or planned that way? You decide. - John Shea
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