First| Previous| Up| Next| Last
12 Monkeys (1996)
Front Cover Actor
Joseph Melito
Bruce Willis
Jon Seda
Michael Chance
Vernon Campbell
H. Michael Walls
Bob Adrian
Simon Jones
Carol Florence
Bill Raymond
Movie Details
Director Terry Gilliam
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 130 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Inspired by Chris Marker's acclaimed short film La Jetée (which is included on the DVD Short Cinema Journal, Volume 2), 12 Monkeys combines intricate, intelligent storytelling with the uniquely imaginative vision of director Terry Gilliam. The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground. Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by "volunteering" to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure. But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) who is initially convinced he's insane, and a wacky mental patient (Brad Pitt in a twitchy Oscar-nominated role) with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, 12 Monkeys ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the '90s, boosted by Gilliam's visual ingenuity and one of the finest performances of Willis's career. The Collector's Edition DVD includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary (The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 12 Monkeys) in addition to the theatrical trailer, production notes, and a 12 Monkeys archive of still photos, design concepts, and storyboards. --Jeff Shannon
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 145
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
Product Details
Edition Special Edition
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
UPC (Barcode) 025192545221
Release Date 5/10/2005
Subtitles English; French; Spanish
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1