Twelve Monkeys is typically Terry Gilliam, loaded with the director's trademark quirky visuals, and, as such, should get right up my nose (I'm not a huge fan of his hallucinatory, surreal style, to say the least). And yet I still love this unusual time travel tale: it's got great performances, with a particularly strong turn from the then up-and-coming Brad Pitt, and Gilliam's chaotic storytelling actually suits the inherent madness of the whole movie. The twisty-turny plot keeps the viewer on their toes throughout, and Gilliam pulls all the threads together neatly for the finale. The occasional moment of visual excess still niggles (the steampunk/trash-heap aesthetic of the future isn't my cup of tea), but on the whole this is definitely one of the director's best films.

Bruce Willis stars as James Cole, a convict from the future who is sent to the past to try and discover the origins of the virus that wiped out most of the world's human population. After a violent altercation with the police of 1990, Cole is sent to an asylum where he meets patient Jeffrey Goines (Pitt), son of a wealthy scientist (played by Christopher Plummer), and quite possibly plants the seeds of mankind's destruction in the lunatic's mind. Together with his psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), Cole tries to prevent the disaster from occurring.

At times, it seems as though Gilliam has only the slightest command of proceedings, and the film demands that the viewer puts in 100% concentration to avoid becoming as lost and confused as Cole himself, who becomes more and more unsure about what is reality and what isn't as the film progresses. Characters ramble, often seemingly incoherently, but what they are saying is, for the most part, intrinsic to the outcome, so pay attention (or have your finger on the rewind button). Those who make the effort will be rewarded by a film that is constantly inventive and frequently clever, and worth at least a few viewings to appreciate it to the fullest.

Obviously, a lot of people adore "Twelve Monkeys", as it's currently #180 on IMDb--placing it among the very best films ever made. While I recognize that it is an amazingly unusual plot (done before in the short French film "La Jetée"), it just isn't the sort of film that appeals to me--though I generally do like fantasy and sci-fi films. I guess the film's weirdness and very slow pace just didn't appeal to me--perhaps you'll love it.

Bruce Willis plays a criminal from the future who has been sent back in time to try to prevent a HUGE apocalyptic event in which most of the people on Earth will be wiped out in 1996. Now I NEVER understood why they put the entire future of mankind on a criminal nor did I understand why they just didn't send dozens or thousands back in time to make 100% sure the plague would not occur. Regardless, he arrives too early--back in 1990. And, unfortunately, he's seen as a crazy man and is sent to an asylum. There, he meets a goofy psychiatrist (are there any other type in films?!) and a real crazy guy (Brad Pitt). How will these three folks work together to either cause or prevent devastation? See this film if you want to know.

Aside from seeing Frank Gorshin in a very unusual role as the man running the asylum, not a lot appealed to me about this one. I didn't dislike the film--I just never felt all that interested. Part of this might be because I never liked "La Jetée"--part of it might be because Madeline Stowe's character seemed really hard to believe (sort of like Ingrid Bergman and her incredibly gullible character in "Spellbound"--another goofy female psychiatrist with no personal boundaries and a tenuous hold on reality). All I know is that I wanted to like this movie but didn't. However, I did respect that it tried to be different and quite complex. Worth a look, though I can't figure out exactly what everyone loves about this one.

Terry Gilliam, the man responsible for the many wacky cartoons in Monty Python's Flying Circus, directed this film which turns out to be clever, haunting, and also extremely confusing. The plot twists and turns every ten seconds, and is set in half a dozen time periods, so you need to keep all your wits about you to work out what exactly is going on. Strangely enough though, in some instances the film seems to completely lose the plot and meanders along for quarter of an hour or so before kicking back into gear, so that it's about half an hour too long in the end.

These minor quibbles aside however, TWELVE MONKEYS is a refreshingly intelligent slice of science fiction. As I've mentioned before, time travel films always appeal to me because of the paradox aspect, and I've always been hooked on themes such as these. Bruce Willis turns in one of his more interesting performances as the anguished, belaboured time traveller, who spends most of the film either being beaten up or humiliated, yet finds his own humanity at the end of the film. He is given solid support by Stowe, Plummer and Brad Pitt, who comes across well as a twitching lunatic.

It's difficult to review a film like this because of the complexity, but everything on the production side comes across glossily, while the music and atmosphere puts it into the same class as art house fare like THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN; there's a definite French flavour to it. TWELVE MONKEYS is clever stuff, but also liable to give you a headache if you don't watch out, and in that respect it can be frustrating. However it does have a quality ending which I won't spoil for those who haven't seen it. Good acting and good direction, let down only by occasional moments of silliness, make this film interesting viewing for those in the right frame of mind.