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12 Monkeys

Original title: Twelve Monkeys
  • 1995
  • R
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
664K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
992
161
Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, and Madeleine Stowe in 12 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.
Play trailer2:26
4 Videos
99+ Photos
CyberpunkDystopian Sci-FiPsychological ThrillerTime TravelMysterySci-FiThriller

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.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.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
    • David Webb Peoples
    • Janet Peoples
  • Stars
    • Bruce Willis
    • Madeleine Stowe
    • Brad Pitt
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    664K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    992
    161
    • Director
      • Terry Gilliam
    • Writers
      • Chris Marker
      • David Webb Peoples
      • Janet Peoples
    • Stars
      • Bruce Willis
      • Madeleine Stowe
      • Brad Pitt
    • 801User reviews
    • 214Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 11 wins & 25 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Official Trailer
    '12 Monkeys' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:19
    '12 Monkeys' | Anniversary Mashup
    '12 Monkeys' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:19
    '12 Monkeys' | Anniversary Mashup
    What Roles Did Brad Pitt Miss Out On?
    Video 3:40
    What Roles Did Brad Pitt Miss Out On?
    Dates in Movie & TV History: Dec. 13, 1996 - Virus Released in '12 Monkeys'
    Video 2:41
    Dates in Movie & TV History: Dec. 13, 1996 - Virus Released in '12 Monkeys'

    Photos134

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    + 128
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    Top cast94

    Edit
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • James Cole
    Madeleine Stowe
    Madeleine Stowe
    • Kathryn Railly
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Jeffrey Goines
    Joseph Melito
    • Young Cole
    Jon Seda
    Jon Seda
    • Jose
    Michael Chance
    • Scarface
    Vernon Campbell
    • Tiny
    H. Michael Walls
    • Botanist
    Bob Adrian
    Bob Adrian
    • Geologist
    Simon Jones
    Simon Jones
    • Zoologist
    Carol Florence
    • Astrophysicist
    Bill Raymond
    Bill Raymond
    • Microbiologist
    Ernest Abuba
    • Engineer
    Irma St. Paule
    Irma St. Paule
    • Poet
    Joey Perillo
    Joey Perillo
    • Detective Franki
    Bruce Kirkpatrick
    Bruce Kirkpatrick
    • Policeman No. 1
    Wilfred Williams
    • Policeman No. 2
    Rozwill Young
    • Billings
    • Director
      • Terry Gilliam
    • Writers
      • Chris Marker
      • David Webb Peoples
      • Janet Peoples
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Terry Gilliam was afraid that Brad Pitt wouldn't be able to pull off the nervous, rapid speech. He sent him to a speech coach but in the end he just took away Pitt's cigarettes, and Pitt played the part exactly as Gilliam wanted.
    • Goofs
      In the first surface scene, the bear shot is reversed and, thus, it manages to completely inhale the condensation of its breath.
    • Quotes

      James Cole: All I see are dead people.

    • Crazy credits
      The film is introduced by the typing sound and sight of what are apparently excerpts from Dr. Kathryn Railly's notes on James Cole.
    • Alternate versions
      There are two releases of the film, by different companies, one from Arrow Video (released both in the US and UK) and the US Blu-ray by Universal. The Arrow release of this film contained a mistake in a scene about 40 minutes in. Bruce Willis's character is interrogated and the tracking shots and close-ups of the researchers questioning him are duplicated. This error was spotted by fans, who contacted Arrow Video to point it out. Arrow admitted the misprint, vowing to correct it (a similar problem was discovered in Arrow's 4K release of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer). Arrow issued this statement: "Sadly, we have identified a fault on our 12 Monkeys UHD disc (FCD2191/AV380), where at approximately 41 minutes some footage is briefly repeated with no interruption to the soundtrack. This error was not spotted by the producers, the facility that carried out the work or the filmmaker who approved the restoration. The fault was traced to the initial 4K data when one of the scanned reels contained some overlap in content and this wasn't flagged in the initial conform. We are continuing to review our workflow processes to prevent these issues from happening in the future. Please hold on to your copy and we will follow up with further information as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience, we look forward to resolving this for you soon."
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: From Dusk Til Dawn/Eye for an Eye/12 Monkeys/Two If by Sea/Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      What a Wonderful World
      Written by Bob Thiele, George David Weiss

      Performed by Louis Armstrong

      Courtesy of MCA Records

    User reviews801

    Featured review
    9/10

    Ahead of the Time

    In 1996, a deadly virus is released by a terrorist group known as The Army of the Twelve Monkeys and wipes out 5 billion people from Earth and the survivors are forced to live underground.

    In 2035, the prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis) is forced to return to 1996 to find the original virus to help the scientists to research the cure to mankind. However, he is mistakenly sent to 1990 and locked up in a mental institution, where he meets the lunatic Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). James Cole unsuccessfully tries to explain his assignment to the doctors, including the psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) that is responsible for his treatment, and then he tries to escape but is incarcerated in a cell. Out of the blue, he vanishes, in the beginning of the incredible journey of James Cole.

    "Twelve Monkeys" (1995) is a sci-fi ahead of the time. The plot has many details that requires the viewer to watch this film more than once to fully understand the story. Watching "Twelve Monkeys" again in 2021 is particularly scary in times of the pandemic Covid. Hope that the history does not follow fiction. My vote is nine.

    Title (Brazil): "Os 12 Macacos" ("The 12 Monkeys")

    Note: On 24 February 2025, I saw this film again.
    • claudio_carvalho
    • Jan 12, 2021
    • Permalink

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    FAQ29

    • How long is 12 Monkeys?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did Cole eat the spider he found in the mental hospital?
    • Why was the camera focus out in this film so often? Was it the directors choice? I found it distracting.
    • What is the story (or theories) behind the raspy voice that talks to Cole in the various timelines? He seems to usually be in Cole's head, but is in the form of a homeless man in 1996. Is he simply Cole's subconscious or something else?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 5, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Latin
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • 12 monos
    • Filming locations
      • Eastern State Penitentiary - 2124 Fairmont Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA(interiors: asylum in 1990)
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Atlas Entertainment
      • Classico
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $29,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $57,141,459
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $184,776
      • Jan 1, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $168,839,459
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS-Stereo
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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