James Cole (Bruce Willis) is an underground prisoner in the future (sometime in the 21st century, I don't think the exact year is ever specified). There was a massive worldwide outbreak of a deadly virus at the end of the 20th century, and mankind was all but wiped out.
Sent back in time to a time before the outbreak, Cole is expected to bring back as much evidence as he can, in order to allow scientists to develop a vaccine that will then be able to save the world.
But when he arrives, he is arrested and placed in a mental institution, as everyone thinks he's delusional, claiming to be from the future and being completely disoriented.
His treating physician, Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) believes she has seen him somewhere before. While not completely believing his story, she does however feel that something strange is going on.
One of his fellow patients, Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) does believe him, but of course, Jeffrey is crazier than anyone else in the institution, so he isn't much help.
When Cole vanishes from a locked cell in the institution where he was bound and restrained, only to return six years later, Railly thinks maybe there is more to his story than she first thought.
Cole 'kidnaps' Railly and takes her on a road trip to Philadelphia, to track down the genesis of the virus, a group known as 'The Army of the Twelve Monkeys'.
The screenplay by David & Janet Peoples, adapted from Marker's original screenplay, is very well written. As with any film that involves the concept of time travel, there needs to be a certain cleverness to the writing in order to make the events of the film seem real enough to follow, and that is the case here. The characters are all very well written, and clearly defined with plenty of internal and external conflicts.
The music, written by Paul Buckmaster, is well suited to the film. It sounds in parts like a classic Danny Elfman-style score, which is not a criticism of Buckmaster's originality, but rather praise of his ability to lock into the psychological nature of the storyline, and compose music that adds another layer to the strange predicament the characters find themselves in.
Roger Pratt's cinematography is absolutely fantastic, with plenty of use of contrasting light and dark, and plenty of shadow. There are some unconventional camera angles used throughout as well, that again only add to the psychological sense of dread within the story. The camera is distant when it needs to be, but is mostly right in the centre of the action, creating a very unsettling feel for the viewer.
The performances of the cast are varied in their level of effectiveness. The absolutely clear standout is Brad Pitt as an unhinged mental patient, but Madeleine Stowe also does a fabulous job as Cole's doctor. Even when she is his captive, she still manages to stand her ground and give a strong performance, and is never truly a victim in the situation.
Bruce Willis, however, is Bruce Willis throughout, as he has been in any of his other projects; this character doesn't seem to deviate a great deal from any of his others. Mind you, fans of Bruce Willis aren't watching his films because of any incredible acting talent, so that perhaps isn't such a big deal.
Only Terry Gilliam - with his ever-so-slightly twisted mind - could have directed this film, and done such a good job of it, too.
7 out of 10.
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