1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys is based on 1963 French short experimental film La Jetée. The plot begins in year 2035, decades after the deadly pandemic, allegedly started by mysterious organisation called Army of the Twelve Monkeys, wiped out most of the humanity and forced survivors to live underground. Protagonist, played by Bruce Willis, is James Cole, convict chosen by scientists and sent back in time in order to discover source and eventually stop the plague. The time travel brings him few years earlier than planned, where his story lands him in mental hospital where he would meet psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly (played by Madeleine Stowe) and another patient Jeffrey Goines (played by Brad Pitt), who just happens to be the son of famous virologist. 12 Monkeys is often considered to be of one of the best 1990s science fiction films and one of the best titles in Terry Gilliam’s filmography. This is mostly due to Gilliam’s unusually constrained and disciplined directing style, as well as excellent script by David Webb Peoples and Janet Peoples, which plays with viewers’ expectations only to deliver one of the most formidable endings in film history.
RATING: 9/10