12 MONKEYS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *
If you are of the school of thought that movies like medicine can only be good if they are painful to endure, then do I have a movie for you, TWELVE MONKEYS. It is a dark, depressing and ugly science fiction mystery involving time travel and schizophrenia. It is a movie that is about as much fun to watch as getting your teeth pulled, and yet the mystery is so compelling that your mind will not let your feet walk out of the theater early no matter how hard they try.
When the movie opens, it is the 21st century. As any Hollywood writer will tell you, in the next century we are all going to revert to acting like animals and our technology will be more like the past than the present plus most of the equipment will be covered in grime. Screenwriters David and Janet Peoples's script based on another one by Chris Marker tells of a future that is full of angry and mean people. It goes on to show a present and past that is equally mean spirited. In a set by Jeffrey Beecroft that is a cross between BRAZIL and ALIENS 3, we find a filthy and ugly world. In this movie the sets for the present and the past are equally sinister and morose.
It seems that in 1996 someone, believed to be "the army of the twelve monkeys", unleashed a virus on the world that killed ninety-nine percent of the humans on the planet. The few survivors went underground, and the surface thereafter became inhabited only by wild animals. James Cole (Bruce Willis) is a prisoner who is picked out of his tiny cage by a crane and sent first to the surface in the present and later to the past to uncover hints as to exactly what the original virus was so that the 21st century scientists can get a clue as to how to make an antidote.
The 21st century scientists use old fashion devices more mechanical than electrical, and their time machine is not very accurate. First, James is sent by mistake to 1990 and then to the French trenches in World War I. Eventually they get it right, and he lands in 1996 right before the virus is unleashed.
Since the people in 1990 think he is schizophrenic and is making all this future plague and pestilence stuff up, he is sent to a mental institution where he meets fellow patient Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). Jeffrey is the son of a famous virologist named Dr. Leland Goines (Christopher Plummer). Jeffrey is most certainly nuts, and James begins to think that he is too and that he is making it all up in his mind. While at the hospital he meets and forms a relationship with his psychiatrist, Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe). Since the mystery is the only thing good about this disgusting but innovative show, I will not describe the plot more. Suffice it to say that it is convoluted, and there is lots of it.
The cinematography (Roger Pratt) is full of dark grays and contrasting bright white lights to create a somber and desolate feel. The sets in the past, present, and future are all depressing and apocalyptic. James's make-up has him extremely bloody and full of scars, and he drools constantly. His keepers kept him high on drugs so he spends most of the movie, not only dripping blood and drooling, but also stoned out of his mind. I found the bleak and lugubrious images of the show infectious. As I left the theater, I felt terrible - hopeless and depressed.
Director Terry Gilliam puts a strong stamp on a movie. I loved his BRAZIL, but hated his THE FISHER KING. Although I was intrigued by the TWELVE MONKEYS story, I was angry at myself for not having the good sense to walk out of it. Many times I started to leave since I was not enjoying myself at all and was finding the images painful to endure, but I kept wanting to know the resolution of the mystery, which I must admit is wrapped up nicely.
Besides the intriguing plot, there is some good acting even if the movie is pretty unbearable. Brad Pitt proved to me that he is more than just a pretty face. Willis, whom I frequently dislike, is quite good, but hard to watch. Stowe, whom I always like, is good and is one of the few characters in this movie that you not only like, but actually care about.
TWELVE MONKEYS runs way too long for my taste at 2:09. It is correctly rated R for gore and violence and a vision of the world that could give you nightmares for a long time. There is male nudity, but no sex. Do not let teenagers see this show unless they are quite mature. This is an ugly film that I wish I had never seen, and I certainly would not wish it inflicted on others. I am giving it a single * for some good acting and an intriguing mystery.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: February 8, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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