Twelve Monkeys (1995)

In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers:

Chris Marker (film La Jetée), David Webb Peoples (screenplay),

Stars:

Joseph Melito, Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe

Top 250 #180 | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Melito	...	Young Cole
Bruce Willis	...	James Cole
Jon Seda	...	Jose
Michael Chance	...	Scarface
Vernon Campbell	...	Tiny
H. Michael Walls	...	Botanist
Bob Adrian	...	Geologist
Simon Jones	...	Zoologist
Carol Florence	...	Astrophysicist
Bill Raymond	...	Microbiologist
Ernest Abuba	...	Engineer
Irma St. Paule	...	Poet
Madeleine Stowe	...	Kathryn Railly
Joey Perillo	...	Detective Franki
Bruce Kirkpatrick	...	Policeman No. 1

Storyline

An unknown and lethal virus has wiped out five billion people in 1996. Only 1% of the population has survived by the year 2035, and is forced to live underground. A convict (James Cole) reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to 1996 to gather information about the origin of the epidemic (who he's told was spread by a mysterious "Army of the Twelve Monkeys") and locate the virus before it mutates so that scientists can study it. Unfortunately Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, six years earlier than expected, and is arrested and locked up in a mental institution, where he meets Dr. Kathryn Railly, a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey Goines, the insane son of a famous scientist and virus expert.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | future | monkey | animal | 1990s | 

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Taglines:

They're Coming.

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

5 January 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

12 Monkeys

Filming Locations:

344 North Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,320,430 (UK) (19 April 1996)

Gross:

£3,532,343 (UK) (17 May 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Classico

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When James is escaping from the asylum, he runs past a security guard who is reading a tabloid, its cover is the now famous photo of the fictional "batboy" that was supposedly found in a cave in the 1990s. The story, about a society outcast ahead of his time, was made into an off-Broadway hit musical.

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Goofs

Near the beginning of the film, Cole collects a cockroach as it crawls through the snow. Cockroaches aren't active in winter, and wouldn't be found crawling through snow. Also, the cockroach he picks up is a Madagascar hissing cockroach, not found in the US.

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Quotes

[first lines]
James Cole: Jose - psst! Jose, what's going on?
Jose: Bad news, man
James Cole: Volunteers?
Jose: Yeah. And they said your name.
[pause]
Jose: Hey, maybe they'll give you a pardon, man.
James Cole: [sarcastic] Yeah, that's why none of the volunteers come back. They all get a pardon.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits: Inspired by the film "La Jetée" written by Chris Marker

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Connections

Referenced in The Omega Code (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Vertigo Theme"
(1958)
Written by Bernard Herrmann
Courtesy of Silva Screen Records

User Reviews

So you're telling me those people in the mental institution are... crazy?

Just kidding, I rented 12 Monkeys the other day because I am a huge Bruce Willis fan and I heard some things about the film. Some good and some bad, but it was one of those films you had to pay attention to every second, so I was a bit worried. Just because I felt like for a minute if this was going to be one of those films that I had to watch several times to get. But I watched it last night and I was really impressed, this movie had everything in it: action, drama, sci-fi, history, dark humor, and even a little romance. The actors all did a terrific job, I give a lot of credit to Bruce, during his scene in the car with his psychiatrist, he really got to me. But Brad Pitt, I'm just amazed with how much of a great job he did. He didn't over do his character, who was crazy, and just made it work and was extremely believable. The story was just scary, but very good and a wake up call.

James Cole is a man in the future where a virus broke out in the past and killed 5 billion people and only 1% of the population survived including him. Animals are now ruling the ground above while the humans are down below, but scientists send James to the past of 1990(really meaning to send him to '96), to find out about information of the virus. James gets put into a mental institution meeting his new psychiatrist, Dr. Kathryn Raily and another mental patient, Jeffrey Goines. He tells them the future, of course no one believes him, he goes back to the future. But the scientists send him back to the correct year to where the doctor is kidnapped by James, but he tells her more, and believes him. Now they are set on trying to prevent the virus from ever happening.

12 Monkeys was an incredible film. Like I said the story was so scary just because it's not at all hard to believe that we are not far from that happening. But the whole movie was just great, the cast, the sets, just the whole picture was a great one. It had a Terminator type of feel to it where we might loose something precious one day, ourselves if we don't listen to others. What is right and what is wrong? Who knows? But I would highly recommend 12 Monkeys, it's a great movie that if you give it the proper chance, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

9/10