When I saw "12 Monkeys" in the theaters, I thought to myself, "This is one of the greatest films of the past ten years." Despite working with a script written by others and under some stringentstudio restrictions, Terry Gilliam more than managed to infuse the storywith his trademark approach to movie-making.I had some reservationsgoing in about the choice of Brad Pitt to play the role of a mentallyunbalanced eco-terroist, but Pitt did a marvelous job and really made thecharacter his own. (Viewers who like Pitt in "12 Monkeys" wouldprobably do well to check out his performance in "Fight Club".Tyler Durden is what Jeffery Goins could be if he were less manic.) BruceWillis and Madeline Stowe also turn in terrific performances, especiallyWillis for whom this was one of his first non-action films. Fans of the old"Batman" TV show will be amused to see Frank Gorshin (theRiddler) as the chief psychiatrist at the mental institution were much ofthe early part of the film takes place. Christopher Plummer is not givenmuch screen time, but he does an excellent job with what little hehas.
As for the story itself, even though many people try to claim thatit is about the line between sanity and madness(in the vein of Gilliam's"The Fisher King"), I just do not see it as such. I never doubtedCole's sanity, the future world was too real to make me think that it was afigment of Cole's imagination. And if one did have that impression atfirst, there was too much revealed early in the film to sustain thatbelief. I prefer to view the story as an extremely intricate"whodunit", where the viewer actually receives most of theinformation relevant to the conclusion by about half-way through the film,but in such a jumbled and contradictory manner that the true outcomeremains obscure until the last 15 minutes. But of course, this being aGilliam picture, even after the conclusion is revealed, a final twist isthrown to the viewer. (Note: to appreciate the twist, pay attention to thefuture scientists. I've known some people who didn't watch closely and theydidn't understand the twist as a result.)
Setting aside the film, andconsidering the DVD, Universal did an excellent job with this release. Thedocumentary "The Hamster Factor" offers some great insights intoboth "12 Monkeys" and the movie industry in general. And thecommentary track with Gilliam and the producer is very good forunderstanding the process of movie-making, as well as how specific sceneswere set up. My only disappointment came with the "ProductionNotes" feature. If you watch the documentary and listen to thecommentary track, the production notes really just repeat what you'vepreviously learned.
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Product Description:
Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time. This sci-fi masterpiece from the genius mind of Terry Gilliam is a modern-day classic.
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